


By Your Side- A Shadowhunters OC insert fic

by Sadreel (SPCMRose)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), TMI - Fandom, The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Demisexuality, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Polyamory, Threesome - M/M/M, alec being an adorable dork, but please be safe when you read this, clary has a twin brother, did, i don't go into details of the childhood trauma/s the omc suffered, i will warn you which chapter has the panic attack in it in the A/N, magnus making up nicknames, omc is a total badass, the omc has did
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2018-10-23 11:10:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 68,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10718214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SPCMRose/pseuds/Sadreel
Summary: Alec likes Magnus, and Magnus likes Alec. Magnus likes Jonas. Jonas likes Alec, and Alec likes Jonas. Oh, and Jonas likes Magnus. It's simple, really, the three of them just need to get together. The only thing is, the Mortal Cup is missing and Valentine is wreaking havoc. Still... how hard could it be?In which Alec and Magnus fall for each other and this other guy... who sorta kinda helps them save the Shadow World. Alec x Magnus x Male OC, polyamorous, m/m/m.NOT A LOVE TRIANGLE!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers!~
> 
> So this is an oc-insert. The oc will end up in a polyamorous relationship with Magnus AND Alec. What does that mean? Alec x magnus x oc. They're all gonna be together and having some huggin' and lovin'. This does not mean I'm steamrolling Malec. Malec will still have all of their moments, most unchanged, and will still be a main feature of this fic.
> 
> I have written over 100k words of this fic already (up to episode 2x10,) so enjoy the ride!
> 
> You can also find this story at fanfiction.net [here](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12440340/1/By-Your-Side-A-Shadowhunters-OC-insert-fic).

 

_**Prologue...** _

Dot had just slammed Clary against a pillar when the redhead saw someone race into the room. _Holy crap_ , Clary thought, recognising the man as her twin brother, though it took her a moment. He'd changed a lot in the four years he'd been missing. He was taller than she remembered, much taller. His hair had grown out into a shaggy look.

His cheeks had thinned out, and he'd filled out his once lanky limbs. He looked… he looked good. Better than he had when he'd left. _Healthier_ than he had when he'd left.

For a moment, Clary forgot about her impending doom, too busy gaping at the sight of her wayward brother. Then, reality crashed down and Clary remembered that _oh shit_ she was being choked by _Dot_.

"Jonas!" Clary managed to gasp out, unsure what her brother would be able to do. She needed to try _something_ , though.

Dot's head snapped around at that, and suddenly it was a weird-creepy-bug- _thing_ that was hissing at Jonas. Jonas froze up for a moment, and then he was charging at Dot without hesitation.

The thing that was _definitely_ not Dot, struck out with a weird, sharp tail and stabbed Jonas in the neck.

"No!" Clary shouted. She struggled to reach her brother, but NotDot was too strong. Unable to break free, NotDot soon hauled Clary up and dragged her away, vanishing out the window.

* * *

**_Then..._ **

It took Jonas way too long to find his bike.

Normally he left it in the carpark downstairs, and the others did too. Although, usually the only other one that drove it was Owl. (Hoot thought motorcycles were unsafe, and Gnash couldn't stand how 'tiny' it was, and thought it was below her– frankly— impossible standards.)

He ended up finding it in the community shed out back. Which was unsettling, because it meant someone from his system had driven it or at the least moved it without his knowledge. Or he'd forgotten whatever reason it was that he'd not parked it in its normal spot. Either way, it was a concern, and he'd have to discuss it with everyone at some point.

Not right now, of course, because currently Gnash and Hoot were locked in an argument (no surprise there) about what was happening today.

Their fighting was distracting, and at a volume that caused Jonas to flinch every now and then. He'd tried to coax Owl out, because he didn't want to deal with so much crap right at that moment. Owl had, unsurprisingly, refused. He was too busy trying to play peacekeeper between his brother and Gnash.

Everything was made that extra bit worse by the fact that Jonas had a headache. He'd had it since earlier that morning, but he couldn't quite tell if he'd woken up with it or it'd been caused by the argument going on in his head.

Jonas exhaled slowly and took a moment to collect himself. He felt tired, wanting desperately to climb into bed and not deal with today. His hands tingled, and so he clenched and unclenched his fists, willing sensation back into them— though it probably wouldn't work.

If he wanted to make any progress today, he had to leave now.

Jonas was so tempted to delay the journey, put it off for just a few more days. He knew if he did though, something else would come up. They had been supposed to leave earlier that week, but then Gnash had come out and prevented them from managing anything productive.

She could be a downright nuisance when she felt like it.

There was a tight knot of anxiety in his chest, worries of what was to come and how he was going to handle life without having his best friend close by.

Things with Howl hadn't been perfect of course. Jonas had still been a dissociative mess, but at least his friend had supported him– listened to him, cared about him and filled him in on things he'd forgotten. Jonas couldn't even remember how he'd ended up in the shed to find his bike, let alone what he'd done for his birthday last year.

(Which Howl had recounted was spent playing Mass Effect 2, a worthy pastime.)

Now though, he'd found his motorcycle and had his duffel bag stuffed with everything he'd require. He had the contact details he needed saved to his phone, and enough candy packed to keep Joey satisfied for a long while.

He was ready.

...The rest of the system wasn't so ready.

But they'd discussed it at length, and despite some reservations, nobody was explicitly against what they were going to do– where they were going to go.

Jonas took a moment to look around his surroundings, judging the level of mild separation he felt with the world; a feeling that was near constant in his life. Satisfied that he was safe to drive, Jonas grabbed his bike and began to walk it to the road.

The sooner he left this place, the better.

* * *

 

_**Now...** _

Alec was pissed. Not only was their best lead on the Cup _gone_ , but now they had a mundane in their Institute... and Jace wanted to _keep_ it.

He hurried down the halls and towards his parabatai's room, eager to get this mess sorted out so he could get back to things that actually _mattered_. Like finding the cup.

Jace caught up with him on the way there, and Alec shot him a look. "We're getting rid of it."

"Why would we get rid of him?" Jace said, and Alec ignored his pronoun usage. "He's our best lead to the cup right now, since the other two have been kidnapped."

"It's a _mundane_ ," Alec argued. "It won't know anything."

They fell quiet as they neared the room, both of them realising that arguing was pointless. As they hurried forward, Alec picked up on the conversation that was happening within.

"...And by "taken" I assume you mean "saved your life"?"

Alec wondered for a moment what they were talking about. Deciding it didn't matter, he didn't care about this 'mundane' anyway, Alec cut right to the point.

"A mundane shouldn't even be here," he said as he stepped into the room. Only a second after, he stumbled slightly when his gaze caught on the mundane in question.

 _Holy fuck_ , he thought, taking in the man with a wide gaze. The mundane was lean and well toned, the muscles in his biceps prominent as they easily filled the size of— what Alec recognized to be— Jace's shirt. He was obviously tall, his feet easily hitting the floor as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Alec was glad for his heavily-trained senses then, because it allowed him to truly appreciate the man's soft features, bed-head hair (though Alec couldn't help but imagine it as sex-mussed), deep brown eyes, pleasantly tanned skin and auburn hair.

"Uhuh," the mundane made a noise of agreement. "Sure. Whatever you say, because it's not like I understand what you're talking about anyway."

Alec paused, not having expected that response. He bristled slightly, going on the defensive.

"How about I explain it to you when you're long gone and out of my way?" Alec replied, staring down at the man.

The mundane shrugged. "If you're offering to pay for me to visit the Bahamas, then I'm down."

Alec felt his lips twitch, but he quickly hid the motion with a not-so-subtle move of his hand.

Bed-Head Hair smirked.

"He's not a mundane, Alec." Jace gestured to the man who was, apparently, not a mundane. For now, Alec was going to think of the man as 'Bed-Head Hair'... and not because he found that particular feature attractive or anything. It was purely for simplicity's sake. "He must be Clary's brother," Jace continued. "They certainly look alike. I'm guessing if she's not a mundane, he isn't either."

Alec stared at his parabatai, unimpressed by his circumstantial logic.

"Look, Isabelle, can you…" Jace gestured to Izzy, and she got up to let Jace sit down in front of the man-who-may-or-may-not-be-a-mundane. "I'm Jace Wayland," he introduced.

"Cool," Bed-Head Hair replied, seemingly unimpressed.

Alec resisted the urge to snicker at the look of incredulity that passed across Jace's face.

Bed-Head Hair gave Jace the benefit of the doubt. "I'm Jonas," he explained, in a pleasant enough tone.

"Jonas Fray?" Jace clarified.

Bed-Head Hair, _Jonas_ , visibly tensed. "I don't go by that name anymore."

"Am I the only one who finds this unusual?" Alec interrupted, growing impatient. He shoved down the bud of curiosity that had grown in his chest. He _wasn't_ interested in possibly-not-mundane Jonas, not even remotely.

Jace shot him a look. "You find everything unusual, Alec."

"I have to report this to the Clave," Alec pressed. He really did, and he'd been nice and given Jace a few minutes to have fun with the mundane, but enough was enough.

"You know what?" Jace said. "Dial it down a notch."

"My brother doesn't have a dial," Izzy explained. "I love you, Alec, but you have a switch that's always on."

Alec glanced at his sister. "I love you, too." He gestured his hand in the direction of Bed-Head Hair. "But this–"

"Hey, you know what?" Jace interrupted. "Give me a minute." When neither made to move, Jace continued, "Here's a word you never hear me say. Please?"

"What is with you?" Alec asked. Unsurprisingly, he received no response. "Really, no, what is with him?" He asked to Izzy when the woman got up to leave.

"Walk with me, big brother. I'll explain it to you."

"Wait," Bed-Head Hair suddenly said. He looked up at Alec, gaze fleeting. "You're leaving?" Bed-Head Hair turned back to Jace. "I want him to stay."

"Really?" Jace asked, genuinely surprised.

Alec shot him a bland look. "Thanks," he drawled.

"Yes, really," Bed-Head Hair insisted.

Jace stared at Bed-Head Hair for a few moments, before nodding his head at Alec. Alec shrugged and stayed put. Izzy stared at them all in exasperation before saying, "I'm not interested in seeing you guys act like children, you know where to find me."

She walked off, and Alec was surprised to find that Bed-Head Hair's gaze did not follow after her. Normally that was a very common occurrence with men around Izzy, as uncomfortable as that was for Alec to think about.

"Your wound, it's healed," Jace said, for lack of anything better to say.

Bed-Head Hair turned to Jace. "Sorry, what?"

Alec cocked his head. Bed-Head Hair sounded kind of english now. Maybe Irish. It was subtle, something that he would've missed if he wasn't paying such close attention. Alec wondered if the man might've spent some time studying overseas in Ireland or something.

"From where you got hurt by the demon," Jace explained. "Your wound has healed."

"A demon," Bed-Head Hair repeated in a clipped tone. Yeah, he definitely had a slight irish lilt. Alec wondered how he'd missed it before.

"Ravener demon," Alec informed the man, because this was seriously taking too long. "It's a shapeshifter, and venomous."

"That is why I passed out," Bed-Head Hair summarised.

Alec nodded, the slightest bit impressed at how the mundane was keeping up.

"So, how did my wound heal so quickly?"

Jace gestured to the rune he'd drawn on Bed-Head Hair's neck. "A rune. They have enormous power. Good for Shadowhunters. Lethal for humans."

"Magic?" Bed-Head Hair asked.

"No, Warlock's have magic." Alec then added, "They're one of the Downworlders. Along with vampires, Seelies… werewolves."

Bed-Head Hair eyed Alec. "So what does that make you then?"

Alec said simply, "We're Shadowhunters."

"We protect the human world from the demon world," Jace added.

Bed-Head Hair looked at them both in turn. "And what is it that you want with me?"

"Nothing," Alec said.

"We want to help you," Jace said instead, and at the same time.

The blonde then shot Alec a glare, but Alec persisted, holding Bed-Head Hair's gaze. "Even if you're not just a mundane, you obviously don't know anything." He paused, and turned to ask Jace, "What use is he going to be to us?"

"I don't know, yet." Jace pressed his lips together, determined. "But he's our responsibility now. The Circle will be looking for him, and he's the only lead we've got."

Bed-Head Hair tilted his head. "Am I in danger?"

"Yes," Alec said in deadpan.

Bed-Head Hair began to speak, summarising the situation, "So then–

"We're the best chance you've got," Jace finished for him.

Bed-Head Hair nodded slowly, processing their words. He stared at the distance as he did so, then when he focused again, he was smiling brightly. "Alright, I guess I'm stuck with you guys."

Alec blinked. Now he didn't have the irish lilt anymore, instead he sounded kind of southern.

"You are not _stuck_ with us," Alec replied, shoving aside thoughts of the man's ever changing accent. "In fact, I'd rather not have the mundane anywhere near me."

Bed-Head Hair didn't appear phased by Alec's words, in fact, he seemed to see right through his bullshit. Alec shifted slightly at the man's look. Okay, so _maybe_ he didn't want to get rid of the cute, new, hot guy, but it wasn't like he wanted anyone to **know** that.

Suddenly, Bed-Head Hair's phone began to ring and the man pulled it out. He frowned as he read the number on screen, but answered in a cheerful tone, "Hello, you've reached O– Jonas, how can we help?"

Alec was too busy trying to think of a way to get rid of Bed-Head Hair to really pay much attention to the man's verbal slipups.

"Who?" Bed-Head Hair said into the receiver. "Oh, um. Okay?" He then walked over to the window. "Yes, I see you. No– No I don't– Alright. Give me a few minutes. Bye."

He hung up and then proceeded to stare curiously at his phone for a while.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked, growing concerned.

"A friend of Clary's," Bed-Head Hair said. "He… He tracked my phone?"

Alec felt like scoffing, but refrained. "Nice."

Bed-Head Hair ignored him. Instead he glanced down at himself and then looked to Jace. "What happened to my clothes?"

"Demon venom," Jace said.

"Demon what?" Bed-Head Hair asked, and then shook his head. "Nevermind, doesn't matter. Can I borrow a jacket or something? Pretty please?"

"Yeah, sure," Jace said, sounding a bit steamrolled. He got up and grabbed one of his spare jackets that was hanging off of the back of a nearby chair. "Here you go."

Bed-Head Hair accepted it with a wide grin. "Thanks." He shrugged it on easily, and then jerked his thumb to the doorway. "So… Is the exit this way?"

"I'll show you," Jace said and got up.

Bed-Head Hair– (too many syllables) _Jonas_ got up to follow Jace, and glanced at Alec when he didn't move. "Are you coming, Alec?"

Alec felt a shiver run down his spine as the man said his name aloud. Which was a weird reaction that Alec was going to actively ignore. "Sure," Alec said, a little breathless. "Because I want to waste more of my time on a mundane."

Despite his words, he followed his parabatai and Jonas as they left the room and went down the hall. Jonas' gaze drifted around as they walked, taking in everything with unbridled awe.

"This place is so cool," he whispered as they walked past a row of monitors. "Hoot would love this."

"Who?" Alec asked, because Jace was a few paces ahead and mustn't have heard. As much as he hated holding conversations in general, Alec did have _some_ manners. Besides, he'd rather not walk through the Institute in awkward silence.

"Oh– Er…" Jonas swallowed, but smiled genuinely as he said, "He's my brother. He's kind of a genius."

Alec paused. "You have a brother?"

"Yes," Jonas replied. "Just like how Jace is your brother, right?"

Surprised that he'd noticed their bond, Alec offered a short nod. "You're very perceptive."

Jonas shrugged. "I kinda have to be."

Alec wondered what he meant by that, but before anything could come of his intrigue, Jace appeared. "I saw something behind your friend," the blonde announced as he dropped back. He'd pulled out his seraph blade and Alec quickly followed his lead, preparing for a fight.

"He's not _my_ friend," Jonas clarified. "He's Clary's friend."

Picking up on his wording, Alec questioned, "Have you got a problem with your sister?"

It wasn't any of his business, but Alec had been unable to stop himself from asking.

He just… There was something about the mundane that made Alec want to get to know him better. Which was a strange, alien feeling that he was going to pretend didn't exist, thank you very much.

"Not with my sister," Jonas said, or rather, clarified. "But, Clary and I? We don't really talk."

' _Not with my sister,'_ Alec thought. Was there someone Jonas _did_ have a problem with?

Alec filed away the man's specification for later as they stepped out through the doors. Jonas stopped at the top of the stairs and stared down at a mundane ( _another one_ , Alec thought bitterly) that was standing below. "Simon, right?" Jonas asked.

"You've forgotten me?"

Jonas flashed him an unapologetic smile. "Sort of."

Simon scoffed. "Figures." He then glared at Jonas. "I know you visited them. Your bike is still parked out front."

"Yes, I stopped by for a second to let them know I was back in town. But the place was trashed, Clary was being strangled by some lady." Jonas' gaze turned troubled. "I tried to stop her, but she attacked me and took Clary away."

Simon looked like Jonas had just spoken to him in some foreign language. " _What?_ "

Jonas groaned and looked to Alec for help. "Can you explain this to him, please?"

The mundane cut in. "Who are you talking to?"

"You can't see them?" Jonas asked, turning back to Simon.

"We've got a glamour, a rune that makes us invisible to mundanes," Jace explained.

Jonas stared at them. "You have _got_ to teach me that."

Amusement warmed Alec's chest. He had to admit, Jonas had a certain charm about him, one that Alec was having a hard time resisting.

"Jonas Fairchild!"

The three spun around to see a man standing at the edge of the path, holding a sword.

Jace dashed forward to disarm the man, whilst Alec stepped in front of Jonas to protect him. Jonas was silent as he watched the ensuing fight, and Alec kept one eye on him as Jace fought with the Circle member.

"Jonas, what's going on?" Simon asked.

"If you give us the boy, I'll let you live," the Circle member said.

Jace, who had the man in a chokehold, replied, "You're in no position to be making rules."

In response, the Circle member headbutted Jace and broke free. Alec watched with a sharp gaze as the two struggled against each other. It didn't surprise him when Jace got the upperhand and managed to stab the Circle member with the man's own seraph blade.

"We'll never stop hunting him," the guy rasped out, his last words.

 _I'd like to see you try_ , Alec thought, surprising himself with the sense of protectiveness he felt for Jonas.

"This is for my father," Jace replied and shoved the blade in deeper.

"He dead?" Jonas asked, voice low but no longer accented in any obvious way.

Simon stepped towards Jonas and asked, "Is who dead?"

With perfect timing the glamour on the dead Circle member faded, and Simon stepped back in shock as he saw it. "What the…"

Jonas looked at Simon for a while, before glancing between Jace and Alec. His fists were clenched, lips twisted in an almost snarl. "Take your glamour off."

Alec shot a look at Jace, and found that his parabatai was already deactivating the rune. Alec didn't want to have to deal with _another_ mundane, but he took his glamour off anyway. The sooner this was over with, the better

"Um... what is happening?" Simon asked as Alec and Jace appeared in front of him.

"Yeah, we don't have the luxury right now, kid." Jace turned and started walking back to the Institute. "Everyone back inside."

"Jonas, who is this?" the mundane questioned. "Did he take Clary?"

Jonas shot Simon a bored look and said nothing as he followed after Jace.

"What? Where are you going?" Simon called after him.

Jonas huffed, seeming annoyed. He turned and faced Simon. "These two" —He jerked a thumb in Jace and Alec's direction— "are our only shot at getting your best friend back, so if I were you, I'd shut your mouth and try not to piss them off."

With that said, Jonas headed back up the steps, taking them two at a time.

Alec shot the man a wry look as he neared. "Nicely handled."

Jonas ignored his taunt and entered the church whilst Jace held the door open. Alec followed after, staring curiously at the enigma in front of him.

Simon, unsurprisingly, started speaking again. "How do we know this Mick Jagger-looking guy and this Abercrombie & Fitch model wannabe are even gonna try–"

"Mundane," Jace interrupted. "We do not have the time."

Jonas sighed and yanked the boy inside. The four stood just within the entrance of the church, and stared ahead. Jace glanced at Alec. "No way, don't look at me," Alec told him.

With an exasperated look, Jace brought up his left arm and rolled up the sleeve. Alec watched Jonas study the blonde intensely as he drew a rune on himself with his stele.

Simon gasped and looked extremely uncomfortable. "He's, like, burning himself," Simon whispered to Jonas.

Jonas looked at the boy and replied with a simple, "Yes."

Alec barely resisted the urge to laugh.

Once he was done, Jace grabbed Simon's hand with his left. Simon immediately began to squirm away. "Buddy, what's going on, man? I'm not your type–"

"Shut up," Jonas cut him off.

Simon continued to mutter under his breath until suddenly the Institute began to reveal itself to the mundane. Simon gaped. "Where are we? What the hell?" Simon paled. "Is there a war going on that I don't know about?"

"There is now," Jace replied.

The four of them headed inside, with Alec lagging behind to make sure they didn't stray. "What is this place? There's a lot of gear in here. What'd they do, rob a tech shop?" Simon questioned in a rush.

Alec was about 100% done with this new mundane.

"So this cold-blooded killer is gonna help us?" Simon whispered to Jonas, loud enough for Alec to hear.

"Mhmm," Jonas hummed in reply.

Jace elaborated, "We're protecting you. It's sort of our thing."

"Your thing? You guys have a thing?" Simon continued.

Jace glanced at Jonas, expecting the man to answer. When he didn't, Jace spoke up. "We're Shadowhunters. We protect humans from demons."

"Demons, right. That makes perfect sense, 'cause there are demons running all around New York."

"That is the first correct thing you've said all day," Jace responded.

Alec pressed his lips together to avoid smiling. He appreciated his parabatai's lack of tolerance for the mundane. Helping Jace bring up the surveillance system, two cops were shown on the monitor, both trying to get inside of the Institute.

"Are they a problem for us?" Jonas asked.

"No," Jace said. "Our wards will deter them. And the NYPD will do their typical mundie thing for a few hours and then the area will be clear."

"Alright, okay. Enough with the show and tell, let's get rid of the mundane." Alec turned pointedly towards Simon.

Jace shook his head. "We can't. The Circle will just keep following him to get to Jonas."

Simon spoke up, "What exactly is the Circle and why are they trying to kill us?"

"All we know is," Jace began. "A long time ago the Circle led a revolt. A lot of Shadowhunters got killed… including my father."

"And since the revolt we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle," Alec added.

"That sounds like a terrible attempt at trying to discourage you from joining the Circle," Jonas said. Alec staared at the man as he noticed the Irish lilt again.

"Anyway," Jace said, clearly unsure how to respond to such a statement. "I have an idea on who can tell us why they took your mother."

Alec noticed how Jonas' expression soured at the mention of his mother, but he didn't say anything so Alec didn't press.

"You coming?" Jace asked as he began to walk off.

"Definitely," Jonas said.

Alec began to walk with them, then paused as Jace stopped.

"No, no, no." Jace reached out with a hand to halt Simon from approaching. "Not you."

"I have every right to find out what happened to Clary," Simon said. "She's my best friend."

"There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill you," Jace replied.

Alec was deeply entertained by the blatant lie.

"I'm tough." As he defended himself, Simon straightened up so he appeared taller. "I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes." He flicked his hand out, smacking Jace, who didn't even flinch. Simon winced and pulled his hand back, shaking out the pain of hitting Jace's beefy shoulder.

Jace scoffed.

Simon appeared hesitant. "What exactly are runes?"

"They give Shadowhunters our demon-fighting powers," Izzy said as she appeared behind them, arriving with her usual dramatic flair. To demonstrate, she activated the runes on her forearm and Alec noticed that Simon was gaping at her. Jonas, however, seemed once again uninterested.

"So hot," Simon mumbled. He then cleared his throat and clarified, "The rune."

Izzy chuckled and approached Simon. "Don't worry, guys. I'll watch over the mundane. In fact, I was about to make breakfast."

Jace inhaled sharply. "On second thought, the runes might be less lethal."

Izzy scoffed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She then turned and introduced herself to Simon, "I'm Isabelle.". Izzy held her hand out, palm down, like she was some kind of royalty.

Simon took her hand eagerly. "Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis. Two first names. Am I still talking?" He giggled nervously, and Izzy smiled patiently at him.

 _That's enough of that_ , Alec thought. He turned to the rest of the group. "Let's go," he encouraged, and then lead the way up to the training room. Jonas followed obligingly, and Jace paused to whisper something to Simon before joining them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was the first chapter!~ I hope you liked it. If you didn't catch it, Jonas suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID, you may know it as MPD-- or Multiple Personality Disorder.) This story will not be focused on his disorder, nor the trauma it was he went through for it to have developed. He's just an 18 year old Shadowhunter who happens to have a dissociative disorder.
> 
> **Why did I decide to write a character with DID?**
> 
> Because representation matters. Of course, I doubt my descriptions will be flawless, but I've tried my best. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism/tips about how I have written DID.
> 
> **What is DID?**
> 
> You do not need to know anything about DID to read this fic. Information on the disorder will be revealed to you over the course of this story. If you want, I recommend [real-did on tumblr](http://real-did.tumblr.com/whatsdid) and [multiplicityandme on youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8JDIEFbQejP-meo1OwI0DA). There are also some other great resources out there, but those are the main ones I have relied on. Otherwise, feel free to read on and hopefully this story will introduce you to it.
> 
> You're also welcome to leave questions for me in your comments, but please note I do not suffer from DID nor am I an expert in the disorder.
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fic!  
> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Hey everyone.** Here's the next chapter. We're gonna be moving steadily through the episodes of s1, and Jonas is gonna continue to change some stuff, so I hope you enjoy!

Hodge was in the middle of a spar when they arrived. The three stopped to watch at the edge of the floor, and Jonas cocked his head curiously. "I assume that is the man that is going to help us. Who is he?"

"That's Hodge Starkweather, our weapons trainer." Jace crossed his arms as he explained. "And, more important for us, a former Circle member. After the uprising, Hodge repented and he was sent to live and work here to make amends. But he's forbidden to ever leave the Institute."

"That is... not good." Jonas frowned. "What kind of a life does he live, now? No freedom, stuck in one place. He is basically a prisoner."

"Hodge is our family," Jace defended. "This isn't a prison."

Jonas didn't look like he agreed, but he didn't press the matter any further.

The spar continued on in front of them, until finally Hodge cut his opponents staff into thirds. The two combatants shared a look, and then Hodge's opponent hurried away.

The three made their approach then, and Hodge pulled on a shirt as he turned to face them.

"Who's this?" Hodge asked.

"Jonas," Alec said. He saw a look of relief cross Jonas' face. Alec felt kind of smug to have remembered not to mention Jonas' last name, knowing the man's previous discomfort with it.

Hodge quirked a brow in suspicion. "And why is he here…?"

Alec shared a look with Jace.

"I, apparently, am the best lead you have on finding Clary and Jocelyn Fray."

Both Shadowhunters turned to see a determined look on Jonas' face. Alec let himself smirk, ever so slightly, and glanced back at Hodge. "What he said," Alec agreed, hiking a thumb in Jonas' direction.

"Well," Hodge said. "She was Jocelyn Fairchild when I knew her." Hodge exhaled slowly. "And she was one of my best friends."

Alec absorbed the information, glad that Hodge might indeed be able to help them out.

"Clary and Jocelyn have been kidnapped by the Circle," Jonas said, not wasting anytime. A fact that Alec could appreciate.

Hodge's gaze widened in shock. "But that's impossible. Valentine's dead and the Circle died with him."

Suddenly, the circle rune on Hodge's neck flared and Hodge grunted in pain. Alec tensed at the sight, not enjoying seeing his mentor in pain.

"Let me guess," Jonas said. "You cannot talk about the Circle?"

Hodge nodded. "I swore a vow never to speak of what we did." He gestured his head towards the rune. "This is the Clave's way of making sure I keep that vow."

"Then we do not have to do this," Jonas said. "I am sure we can figure it out for ourselves."

Hodge shook his head. "If the Circle really is back… and they've taken Jocelyn… Our leader... our leader of the Circle was Valentine Morgenstern–" He winced as the rune seared his skin again, and stammered as he continued. "We thought he wanted to protect humans, like all Shadowhunters. But we never realized the lengths which Valentine was willing to go… the people he was willing to sacrifice. Most of humanity would die if we carried out Valentine's plan."

"And obviously Jocelyn relates to this in some way." Jonas cocked his head in thought. "Was she part of the circle?"

"Yes," Hodge sighed. "Jocelyn was a member of the Circle as well. But the important thing is that Jocelyn left the Circle. And so none of this even matters, because Valentine died in a fire years ago."

He collapsed then, the rune's power too painful. Jace raced forward and grabbed him. "Hodge," Jace shouted, but received no response. "Hodge," he tried again.

Finally, Hodge collected himself enough to carry on. "Valentine nearly destroyed the Shadow World and humanity along with it." Hodge leant into Jace's hold. "If he'd gotten the Cup–"

"The Cup," Jonas said, looking thoughtful. "We heard her mention a hidden object that she had to protect. It could be this Cup. I assume it is important?"

Alec picked up on the 'we' part of his sentence, but didn't know what to make of it. Maybe he just meant he and his sister. "The Mortal Cup is the most important object in the Shadow World," Alec explained. "Whoever possesses it can create more Shadowhunters. And in the wrong hands… control demons."

Jonas nodded. "So it is important that we find this cup before he does, since Jocelyn cannot protect it anymore."

"If Jocelyn hid the Cup from Valentine, then she's in more danger than you can possibly imagine," Hodge said, and then screamed as the rune flared once more.

"Hodge," Jace consoled, voice filled with sympathy.

Hodge yelped and fell to the ground, crawling along as though he could escape the pain if he tried hard enough. "You must protect your mother," he grunted out, directed at Jonas. Alec saw Jonas wince at the mention of his mother. He was beginning to sense a pattern there.

"Stop Valentine," Hodge murmured. "Before he destroys us all."

Jonas' lips thinned, and then he turned on his heel and strode purposely out of the room.

Alec glanced at Jace, who was still helping Hodge. It seemed he was left to deal with the new guy. With an annoyed grumble, Alec ran after Jonas.

It wasn't that he disliked the man, Alec just wasn't a people person. He liked to avoid talking as much as possible, let alone _comforting_ someone.

He finally found Jonas in the hallway, looking furious.

"We will _not_ help that woman," Jonas hissed, eyes blazing as he looked at Alec. He paused and took a breath, trying to compose himself. "If I am to do this, it will be to stop a bad man from doing bad things."

Alec nodded. It didn't matter what reason Jonas used to justify his actions, as long as he helped them, Alec didn't care. "Of course."

"And _if_ you rescue her, or Clary, or _whatever_. I do not want to see either of them." Jonas held up a finger when Alec opened his mouth to respond. "And you should probably know that I will not hesitate to throw them under the bus if I need to."

"You know what," Alec said. "I can respect that."

Jonas nodded. "Good."

Alec folded his arms in front of him and waited.

"Okay," Jonas began. "So we know that Valentine is back and wants the Cup, and he believes Jocelyn has it."

"Could she?" Alec asked.

Jonas swallowed, and nodded. "I think that there is a good chance that she could."

"'A good chance'?" Alec quoted back. "That's not going to cut it. You must know something else."

"Some stuff," Jonas agreed. "Overheard conversations, weird things I've seen, but nothing more to do with the Cup. It is just blank. Black."

Alec nodded as something dawned on him. "Someone's wiped your memory."

Jonas looked perturbed. "That is… a horrifying thought."

Alec didn't have a clue what to say to that, so instead he explained, "Warlocks have the ability to take away memories."

"The Downworlders?" Jonas paused. "Do we have to call them that? It seems kind of… offensive."

"Call them whatever you want," Alec said, not wanting to waste any time on the matter. "They're immortal beings, half-demon, half-human. Sound familiar?"

Jonas shook his head. "I am not sure. I think Jocelyn's assistant knew something, Dot. They would talk about… this" —he gestured vaguely around himself— "kind of stuff."

"Maybe if we find this Dot, she could help us find the Cup."

Jonas nodded. "Sounds like a plan, and I think I know where we can start."

* * *

Alec took Jonas to get a change of clothes. If they were leaving the Institute, he needed something that wasn't Jace's worn hand-me-downs. "Hey," Jonas said as they rounded a corner on the way to Alec's room. "Where are we going?"

"My room," Alec said. He could've sworn he explained that.

"Ah," Jonas appeared sheepish. "You... live here?"

"In the Institute?" Alec nodded. "Yes."

"Will I be living here?" Jonas glanced around.

Absently, Alec realised that the Irish lilt was gone. "Does it matter?" Alec asked. He had other things to focus on, rather than living arrangements.

Jonas appeared contrite. "Sorry, I just—" He licked his lips. "I was only asking because this place is better than half of the digs I've been stuck these past couple of years. I bet you guys even have an inhouse theater." Jonas shot Alec a grin. Alec felt his breath catch as he noticed how beautiful the auburn-haired man looked in that moment. "If you don't, you need to get one."

Alec quirked a brow, sensing a teasing vibe to the man's words. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jonas explained carefully, "Well, you guys just don't seem to understand a lot of pop culture references."

"Ah," Alec said. "I guess you're right, but we wouldn't have the time to use it." He came to a stop in front of his room. "Here we are."

Jonas offered a crooked smile, "After you.".

Alec brushed aside the wave of affection he felt for the man, and entered the room, holding the door open for Jonas.

"Thanks," Jonas said and stepped inside. He paused just within the threshold, looking around with a wide gaze. "Wow, this place… isn't terrible."

Alec glanced at him. For a moment, he considered thanking the man for his sort-of compliment. Instead, he wordlessly headed over to his cupboard to find Jonas some clothes. "These might be too small for you, but they're better than Jace's sleep clothes."

Alec pulled out a deep blue henley that was a little too big on him– but would hopefully fit Jonas— and a spare jacket because the one Jace had given Jonas... just wasn't going to cut it.

Besides, Alec figured that it wouldn't be a problem if man look good.

(He ignored the tiny voice in his head that argued that it _would_ be a problem. Jonas' attractiveness was already plenty distracting.)

"Your welcome," Alec said as he handed the clothes over.

Jonas eyed him for a moment, before accepting the clothes with a quiet, "Thank you."

He then hesitated, standing there, looking like a lost puppy.

"I'll just… wait outside." Alec moved to the door to leave, but paused. "Don't touch anything," he warned.

He earned a smile for that. "I wouldn't dream of it," Jonas assured him. "I kind of value my life, at least a little."

Alec scoffed in amusement before he could stop himself, and he quickly dashed out of his room to save what was left of his dignity.

* * *

When Jonas stepped out of the room, Alec was speechless for an embarrassingly long time.

His clothes were indeed a bit tight on the man, but in a good (very good, _distracting_ ) way. The deep blue of the shirt emphasised out the auburn in Jonas' hair, and the jacket added an extra layer of style that made him look _delicious_.

Alec cleared his throat as he noticed Jonas staring at him sheepishly. "Do I look terrible? Even if I do, it's a step up from my usual imitation of a trash can."

Alec scoffed again, halfway to a chuckle. Twice in one hour. Alec was sure the world was about to end. "No, you're fine," he said. _More than fine_ , he thought. Alec shook his head to clear the thought and told Jonas, "Let's go."

He turned and strode off with purpose. He heard Jonas hurry after him, and slowed his pace so that he could catch up.

"I need to speak with the Clave," Alec said as he brought Jonas to the training room. Hopefully his sister and parabatai would need them there.

"The who?"

"They tell us what we can and can't do," Alec explained. "We report directly to them."

"Right," Jonas replied, sounding as though he didn't quite care. Alec was used to such kinds of responses in regards to the Clave. "So who are you getting to babysit me whilst you're gone?"

"Jace will probably 'babysit' you until I'm back," Alec replied with a smirk. He caught Jonas' offended expression out of the corner of his eyes. "Hey, you said it."

Jonas pouted, the expression a frustrating mix of adorable and gorgeous. "Okay," he relented. "But I'll make sure to wreak havoc and keep him busy while you're gone."

Alec nodded his approval. "Good." He stopped at the base of the training room, and Jonas did as well. "Have fun."

"Wait, Alec." Jonas reached out and grabbed Alec's elbow to stop him. Alec's skin tingled at the touch, but he looked up to stare at Jonas impatiently. Jonas immediately let go, and Alec tried not to mourn the loss. "I… Just… Thank you. For not being a complete dick."

Alec felt his lips twitch before he could stop himself. "Don't make me regret it."

He then turned and walked off, feeling a set of eyes following him the whole way.

* * *

"I don't approve of this mission," Alec declared as he returned to the training room. The mundane had joined up with Jonas and Jace, as well as Izzy. He walked right up to the four of them and positioned himself between the mundane and Jonas. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear, the newbie shadowhunter does not leave the premises."

Jonas raised a brow. "'Newbie'? Is that supposed to offend me?"

_Huh_ , Alec thought. The southern accent was back. "Obviously not, because otherwise it would have," Alec said, which didn't make as much sense as it had in his head. Jonas' lips twitched, and Alec caught sight of that before he turned to Jace. "We're not doing anything."

"Alec," Jace began in his 'I'm right and you're wrong' tone. "Jonas thinks we can find something, at Jocelyn's home, on this warlock that could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Jonas, he's not safe outside alone.

"Jace has a point," Izzy said.

Alec turned to his sister, mildly offended. " _Et tu_ , Izzy?"

"Alec," Jonas said. Alec, reluctantly, turned to face the man. As their gazes locked, Jonas offered a smile. "We'll give this a shot, and if we're wrong, you can brag about it all you want."

Alec narrowed his gaze. "I do not brag."

"Can we just get this show on the road?" Simon asked, and pulled out his keys. "I'll drive."

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"What?" Simon asked. "Unless you have, like, a Shadowhunter-mobile or something." He chuckled nervously, and then faltered at their unamused looks. "You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me... right?"

Jace shot the kid a pitying look. "Possibly," he said. He then patted the kid on the neck, hard, and led the way out of the training room.

* * *

They arrived at Clary and Jocelyn's house. Jonas got out of the car and walked straight over to his bike. It appeared untouched, and Alec watched as the man checked it over.

"Is everything okay?" Jace asked.

"Looks to be." Jonas patted the motorcycle happily and then turned to grin at them. "Alright, let's go see if we can find any leads in the house."

"Is it safe in there?" Simon asked, casting a worried glance over the building.

"Even if it isn't," Izzy said and smirked at the mundane. "You've got me to protect you."

Jonas walked up to Alec. "Why don't we leave them to have their moment?"

"Thanks for that imagery," Alec said, but he turned and headed towards the house. As he walked forward, he pulled out his bow and readied an arrow.

"Are we in danger?" Jonas asked, seeming confused.

Jace caught up with them then. "You're always in danger," he said, ever the one to comfort others. "But, theoretically, we shouldn't have any problems right now."

"That's the kind of attitude I wanna hear," Jonas said and grinned at Jace. "Now, I bags not going first."

Alec stared at Jonas. "Really?"

"What?" Jonas shrugged. "I'm not going to be that one character in a horror movie that goes first and gets his head chopped off."

"You're not going to get your head chopped off," Alec replied.

"That's what the guy who goes first says." Jonas pursed his lips. "How about we all go together?"

"I think you're too late." Alec lifted his finger, pointing to the now open front door that Jace had just stepped through.

"Ah," Jonas said as he noticed. "Well then, nevermind."

The two followed after Jace, and Alec eyed Jonas as the man walked straight over to a nearby pillar. Jonas gazed at it intently, and Alec stepped up behind him.

"This is where we saw Clary," Jonas said. Alec filed the third 'we' use away for later contemplation. "The demon had grabbed her." He pointed to a window on the far wall. "That's where it took her."

Alec nodded, looking around slowly. His gaze caught on something glinting in the moonlight. He knelt down and picked it up, recognising it as some kind of necklace. A gem dangled from the chain, and for a moment Alec thought there might've been more to it…

"That looks pretty," Jonas said as he noticed what Alec had found. "Since it's technically from my… family's home, can I have it?"

Alec shrugged and handed it over. "I don't think we're going to find anything here," Alec said.

"No," Jonas said. "I was hoping that Dot would be here, but I guess not."

"Do you have any idea where she might've gone to?" Jace asked as he approached.

"Sorry," Jonas apologised. "I've got no clue."

"Then we need to go back to the Institute," Jace said. "It's the safest place for you."

"What about my memories? They can't just be gone?" Jonas asked.

"There is another option," Jace said.

"Absolutely not," Alec denied, already knowing what his parabatai was going to suggest.

"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers," Jace said.

"Who are they?" Jonas asked, clearly intrigued. "Some kind of boyband?"

"Why would they be called 'silent' if they were a band?" Alec questioned, concerned about the man's logic.

Jonas hummed in an 'I don't know and why is that my problem' kind of way.

"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers," Jace explained. "Who possess the ability to recover memories."

"A process that can also kill you," Alec added. "So there's that."

"I could also get hit by a bus," Jonas replied.

Alec shot him an unimpressed look. Jonas held up his hands in surrender, and Alec turned to Jace. "We've broken at least 18 Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones? There's no way. I won't allow it."

"This isn't our choice to make," Jace said. "This is Jonas' decision."

"What's Jonas' decision?" Izzy asked as she entered the house.

"Something about a boy band getting my memories back?" Jonas said.

"Jace wants Jonas to go to the City of Bones," Alec told Izzy.

Izzy turned to Jace. "You can't ask him to do this. He doesn't know what he's facing. He's not prepared."

"This isn't just about me," Jonas said. "This is about that Cup and whatever mess is gonna come if what's-his-face gets his hands on it—"

"Valentine," Alec supplied.

Jonas continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "—So whilst you debate what's best for _me_ , I'm going to go by what's best for the world."

Alec looked to Jace, and the blonde smirked at him. "See? I told you he's one of us."

* * *

Alec was _not_ happy about this, and not because he cared about Jonas, but because they were breaking about a dozen rules and putting _all_ of them in danger.

"Yeah, this place isn't creepy. Not at all," Simon said as they arrived at the entrance to the City of Bones.

Izzy chuckled. "Don't tell me you're afraid."

"Are you kidding me?" Simon scoffed. "I was born afraid… which sounded a lot better in my head."

Izzy grinned in amusement, and Alec decided he'd had enough of listening to that. "Let's check it out," he said and stalked forward.

"Wait here a minute," he heard Jace tell Jonas. "I wanna see if it's safe."

As Jace passed, Alec stopped him. "Hey." Jace turned to face him. "If something goes wrong… if something happens to him, that's on us. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jace replied. "And you know exactly what'd happen if Valentine gets the Cup before we do."

Alec nodded. "I think Jonas knows that even better than we do."

Jace grinned. "He's smart. He'll be fine."

"He'd better be," Alec said. He realised how that must have sounded, and quickly clarified. "Otherwise we're going to be the ones to blame."

Alec stepped away them, and went to make sure the immediate area was clear. There wasn't anything to be found, and soon everyone reconvened. Alec led Jonas in front of the pack as they all headed off.

"Before we go in there," Alec began once he was alone with Jonas. He had some things he wanted to tell Jonas in private. "You need to know some things about the Silent Brothers."

"As you mentioned before," Jonas grinned at Alec. "I'm guessing they're silent?"

"They communicate without using words," Alec said, deciding not to acknowledge Jonas' comment. "Using just their thoughts."

"Now that's something I'm familiar with."

Alec blinked. "What?"

Jonas smiled sweetly. "Nothing, continue."

Alec frowned, but went on. "How it'll work is they'll hold the Soul-Sword to your head, and with its blade, carve the truth from your mind. If you're not strong enough, you will die."

"How do I know if I'm strong enough?" Jonas asked. He didn't sound scared, per say, but definitely cautious.

Alec shot the man what he hoped was a reassuring look. "You're strong enough, don't worry about that."

"So there's something else I have to worry about?"

"You should know that the pain will be excruciating," Alec said.

"Pain." Jonas chuckled. "Got it."

They pulled to a stop in front of a doorway. The rest of the group caught up to them, and Jonas winced. "Well, that's a welcoming sight."

It really wasn't all that pleasant. The entrance to the City of Bones looked like something out of a thriller movie, spelling foreboding in every inch of its presence.

Simon made to move forward, but Jace put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "All right, hold up."

"Surprise, surprise." Simon huffed. "No mundanes allowed, just like in the training room, right? Wrong! I've seen every horror movie ever made and the funny one that gets left behind… dead man."

Izzy laughed, whilst Jace appeared unimpressed. "You're not that funny. But by all means, go ahead." Simon stared at Jace, and then went to enter the City of Bones. "Of course, the minute you enter, you'll die."

"Problem is," Simon said, hesitating. "Now I don't trust you."

"He's not lying," Alec said.

"Now," Izzy added. "He was before."

Alec stepped forward. "The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter, so, please…" He gestured to Simon to go ahead.

Jonas chuckled lightly and Alec glanced at him to find the man smiling. "What?" Jonas asked. "That was funny."

"The Brothers creep me out," Izzy admitted. "I'll mind the mundane."

"Your sacrifice is noted, Izzy," Jace said and started towards the tunnel.

"Talk about sacrifice," Simon said. "I'm missing a financial analysis class."

"I can't be here anymore," Alec declared, gesturing in the totally-not-vague direction of the mundane. "So, Jace, I'm gonna mind the perimeter."

"Wait," Jonas grabbed Alec's arm. Alec despised how much he liked the man's touch. "You're not coming?"

"You'll be fine with Jace," Alec replied.

Jonas smiled softly. "But I'd like you to come, please?"

Alec turned from Jonas to Jace. When he met the gaze of his parabatai, Jace shrugged. No help there. With a resigned expression, Alec turned back to Jonas. "Fine," he relented. "But don't expect me to hold your hand."

Jonas' smile grew into a wide, bright grin. "I wouldn't dream of it."


	3. Chapter 3

The three of them travelled underground, with Jace leading the way. It grew darker the deeper they went, and eventually both Alec and Jace stopped to pull out their witchlights.

"What're those?" Jonas asked.

"It's witchlight," Alec said.

Jace added, "We carry it to remind us that light can be found in even the darkest of places. And it's cooler than a flashlight. "

Jonas laughed. "I mean, they're bulkier than a flashlight but yeah, they're pretty cool."

Alec offered his witchlight to Jonas. Jonas gaped at it, then looked up at Alec with big, wide, doe eyes. "Thanks," he said and took it in the center of his right palm.

Pleased that he'd earned such a reaction, he followed after Jonas, ignoring the look Jace shot his way.

"Is that just a regular drinking chalice… or the Mortal Cup?" Jonas asked as he shined the light at a statue.

"The Cup," Alec said.

Jonas' gaze drifted lower to the inscription on the statue. "Is that Latin?" Jonas asked.

"It's the Shadowhunter creed," Jace said.

"'For Shadowhunters, the descent into hell is easy,'" Alec recited.

"Do you guys write for Hallmark?" Jonas questioned.

Alec looked to Jace. Jace turned to Jonas and said, "No."

Jonas shrugged and said, "Your loss."

They continued deeper into the tunnels. Alec could visibly see Jonas grow more and more anxious by the minute. Alec found himself talking before he could stop himself. "What do you do?"

Jonas glanced at him. "Hmm?"

"Are you in college or…?" Alec asked.

"I'm… taking a gap year." Jonas offered a weak smile. "I've been taking some time for myself to relax. School was pretty stressful for me."

Alec nodded. He could respect that. "Do you have any idea what you're going to study?"

"Comp sci," Jonas said after a moment's thought. "For programming."

"Programming?"

"Yeah, like coding for software." Jonas smiled happily, clearly passionate about the idea. Alec kind of wanted to smile with him, the sight was infectious. "How about you? Do Shadowhunters go to college?"

Alec shook his head. "Don't need to, don't want to."

Jonas nodded. "That's understandable."

"We're here," Jace spoke up suddenly.

Jonas frowned and looked past Alec. He walked forward and inspected a rune on the floor. "I've seen this before."

Alec cocked his head as he noticed that Jonas' southern accent was gone.

"It means 'clairvoyance,'" Jace explained.

Suddenly, torches lit up around them, revealing the Silent Brothers that has surrounded them.

Jonas didn't even flinch. Alec was impressed.

"Shadowhunters…" One of the Silent Brothers stepped forward. The Silent Brother gestured to the floor in front of them. "Come into the circle."

Jonas, without looking at either Alec or Jace, stepped into the circle without hesitation.

"Step away, Jace Wayland," the Silent Brother said, then added, "Alec Lightwood."

The two looked at each other, and then did so reluctantly.

"We won't be far," Alec told Jonas.

Jonas didn't even look at them, just nodded in acknowledgment.

The two went and waited in the shadows, and watched with trepidation as the process began. Alec couldn't hear the Silent Brothers anymore, and it didn't look like Jonas was saying anything either. He could only imagine what Jonas was going through.

Alec was surprised to find a bud of anxiety form in the pit of his stomach.

Finally, as the sword was pulled away from him, Jace and Alec raced over.

Jace reached Jonas first. "Do you know where the Cup is?" he asked, hopeful.

"No," Jonas replied, short and simple. He barely looked phased by what he'd just endured.

"Only fragments of his memory were accessible to us," the Silent Brother explained.

Jonas nodded at the Silent Brothers. "Thanks," he said, and then turned and headed for the exit.

"Wait, what?" Jace asked.

Alec ignored his parabatai's confusion and hurried after Jonas. The man was moving fast though, and it took him a while to catch up. "Jonas," Alec called as he neared. "Jonas, hold up."

Jonas didn't respond, but he did slow down… only just the slightest bit.

"What did you see?" Alec asked as he reached the man's side.

"Nothing that helps us find the Cup," Jonas answered.

"That's not what I asked."

"I know, and I've told you. It doesn't matter, so let it go."

Alec wasn't about to give up so easily. "How do I know that it won't help if you don't tell me what it was?"

Jonas stopped and whirled on him, eyes blazing. "Do I ask to know each and every one of your memories? No. So  _drop it_ , Alec. I'm not telling you a damn thing."

Alec bristled. He reached out and grabbed Jonas' elbow. "I don't think you understand, Jonas. We went through all of this to get–"

"Hey," Jonas exclaimed and tugged on Alec's grip. The southern accent was back, and he sounded kind of panicked. "What're you doing? Let go of me."

"Jonas–"

Jonas huffed, and Alec loosened his grip so the man could tug free. "What was that about, Alec?"

"What do you mean 'what was that about'— You're not telling me–"

"Guys," Jace called out as he finally caught up. "What's going on here?"

"Alec here was getting a bit too handsy for my liking," Jonas said. He then jerked his thumb towards the exit. "I don't care what you two do, but I can't spend another second in these tunnels."

Neither Jace nor Alec tried to stop the man as he walked away.

"Alec."

Alec turned, finding a furious looking Jace.

"What the hell was that?"

"He refused to tell me what the memory was," Alec said. "I was just–"

"Trying to force it out of him?" Jace sighed. "Don't try that again."

Alec watched his parabatai walk off, feeling kind of shitty. "I wasn't trying to hurt him," he defended as he chased after Jace.

"I'm not the one you need to tell that to," Jace said. "You'll have to talk to Jonas about it."

Alec sighed and let Jace take the lead, needing some time to get his thoughts straight.

* * *

After the mess with the mundane getting kidnapped by vampires, the group headed back to the Institute to reassess their situation.

Alec hung back, not knowing what to say to Jonas and deciding it was best to keep out of the way.

"So the vampires want to trade Simon for the Cup, and Valentine wants to trade Jocelyn and Clary for the Cup…" Jonas sighed. "This is a mess."

"We can't let either of them have the Cup," Jace said. He glanced at Jonas pointedly. "Not that we know where it is anyway."

Jonas remained unflappable. "So then, we need a plan." He turned and walked through the rows of equipment, and Jace stopped at a table in the center of the room. Alec leaned against a chair as Jonas spoke. "Where would they have taken Simon?"

"That was Camille's outfit, right?" Jace asked and Alec nodded. "They're locals."

"They're at the Hotel DuMort, down in Gansevoort Street," Izzy said.

"Well that's not so bad. Can't we go bust him out?" Jonas inquired.

"We need a Clave resolution for that," Alec said. He kept a close eye on Jonas, judging the man's response to his sudden contribution. Jonas didn't seem to mind, and Alec felt himself relax the slightest bit.

"The four of us can't declare war on the vamps all by ourselves," Izzy stated.

Alec nodded. "And we can't react without considering our options. Downworlders are slaves to their impulses. We're not."

"Alec," Izzy began. "You can't stomp on all the Downworlders."

"Oh, that's right." Alec leered at Izzy as he made the connection she was implying. "Seelies have their charms, apparently."

"Right?" Jace concurred, smirking devilishly as well.

"And who are the Seelies?" Jonas asked.

"Like faeries," Jace clarified. "The Fair Folk. Add pixies, nixies, elves… anybody half-angel, half-demon. It's pretty much a catch-all term."

"Izzy can tell you all about them," Alec stated. He grinned tauntingly and raised his brow at Izzy. "She's got a  _thing_."

Izzy grinned right back. "We've all got our  _things_ , don't we?"

Alec's smile dropped and, inadvertantly, his gaze briefly flickered to Jonas.

If Izzy noticed, she didn't comment on his slip up. Alec counted it as a win.

"So are we going to save Simon or not?" Jonas cut in. "Because all I'm hearing is a lot of no's."

"We'll do it," Jace said. He leaned forward and placed his hands on the table. "They made the first move. We're gonna take care of this ourselves, right now."

Alec began to argue. "This is a bad idea. I–"

"What, have you got a better one?" Jace shot back.

"No," Jonas started. The Irish lilt was back again. "I think we should reconsider. If we let them have Simon, then they may realise that they are not going to get anywhere with him. We should not risk our lives for him when they might just let him go anyway."

Jace shook his head. "I get that you might be scared—"

"I'm not scared," Jonas insisted.

"—But the vamps broke the Accords," Jace continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "They kidnapped a mundie. That's a big no-no. The Clave will give us a lecture and then they'll be glad we did it. Come on."

"Hard to argue with that," Izzy said.

Jonas looked frustrated, but he kept his mouth shut. Alec wondered what changed his mind, he'd seemed intent on saving Simon before, but now...

"Even if we went ahead," Alec said. "I don't see how we get out of here without having to explain where we're going. We need weapons, and we can't let anyone see us get them."

After a moment's thought, Jace said, "I know where to get what we need."

* * *

Jonas drove them to the cemetery, with Jace giving directions every now and then. Alec sat in the back with Izzy, and she'd been staring at him for the last 10 minutes straight without a word.

"What?" Alec whispered, finally.

Her considering expression shifted to one of deviousness. "Don't think I missed the thing that's going on between you and Jonas."

"There's no  _thing_  going on between me and Jonas."

Izzy raised a single, arched brow. "Keep telling yourself that, brother."

The van pulled to a stop, thankfully distracting Izzy from her teasing. Jonas cut the engine and everyone clambered out of the vehicle.

"Whose grave is it?" Jace asked.

Izzy sighed, and then read, "Mary Milligan, born January tenth, eighteen-oh-two. Died, January tenth, eighteen-seventy-eight."

Jace nodded. "All right," he said, then turned to Alec. "Alec, let's go."

"Are you seriously telling me that someone stashed weapons here two hundred years ago?" Jonas asked.

"All of the ancient religions recognize demons," Izzy said. "Or at least they used to."

"They forgot about the threat because we've been here to protect them," Alec explained. "Typical mundane failure of imagination."

"Are you saying we did too good a job?" Izzy questioned. "You just can't let up, can you?"

"You know what?" Jace stopped them before they could start. "Alec, why don't you go check out by the angel?"

Alec obliged, glad to get away from that conversation. It wasn't like he enjoyed fighting with his sister, they just seemed to end up in arguments more often than anyone else.

 _Wonder why_ , a tiny voice in Alec's head sassed.

 _Shut up_ , he thought back pointlessly.

He looked around for a while, but couldn't find the grave.

"Alec!" Someone shouted.

Alec turned to see Jace and Jonas crouched over a gravestone. He walked over to join them.

"Mary Milligan," Alec read. "That's it."

"Beloved servant," Jonas chuckled. "That is nice."

Alec shot him a look. "It is for someone who is in service to a cause greater than themselves."

"At least she is now," Jace agreed. He then brought out his Stele. "Abracadabra."

Jonas grinned. "I appreciate the added touch of authenticity."

"You're welcome," Jace replied in a tone Alec recognised as somewhat cheerful.

Jace traced the rune with his stele, unlocking the lid so they could take it off. Alec pushed from one side and Jace swung the lid around so there was room to open the cache within.

Jace pried it open, and he and Jonas immediately reached in to grab a seraph blade each.

"Don't touch that," Alec warned the man. "You don't know how to use it."

"I believe it to be quite simple," Jonas replied. "The pointy end goes in the thing I want to kill."

Alec opened his mouth to refute the man's assumption, but Jace interrupted. "Alec. I'm gonna show him the right way to use it. Do you see what you need in here?"

Alec relented and checked the cache. "No," he told Jace. "There's no bow here. I need one. I have to rune some arrows. That's back at the Institute. I gotta go."

Alec stepped down from the grave and made to leave. Jace stepped after him.

"Well, how are you gonna get back in the Institute?" Jace asked.

"Go in the back." Alec shrugged. "Won't bother me if I'm alone."

"Okay, good." Jace nodded, satisfied. "Go. I can finish up here."

"I'll see you at dawn," Alec said, reaching out to grasp his parabatai's hand.

"At dawn," Jace agreed. They clasped hands, and then Alec let go to leave.

He passed Jonas as he went.

"You are leaving?" Jonas questioned.

Alec paused, wondering if the man would ask him to stay like last time. Jonas wasn't quite meeting his gaze, though. He was staring at his blade as though it would give him all the answers in the world. "Yeah. There's some stuff I need to get if we're going to raid a vamp nest."

"Okay," Jonas replied dispassionately.

Alec, feeling a bit off kilter by the blatant dismissal, headed off with a frown on his face.

* * *

Getting the bow and arrows out of storage was the easy part. The hard part was taking the time to rune them all. Alec tried to be sneaky about it in a not-obviously sneaky way. He was good at being sneaky, but being sneaky  _without_  being sneaky was hard.

Evidently, he did not do a good enough job.

Hodge found him as he was tracing an arrow with his stele.

"Alec. Didn't know you were here."

Alec quickly put down the arrow and tried to hide the weapons by shifting to the side slightly. He knew immediately that it wouldn't work, but he tried to stammer out an excuse anyway. "Yeah— No— I— Uh…"

"Don't tell me." Hodge smirked. "I don't wanna have to report you."

"It's just that, you know, Jonas is–"

"That boy is Valentine's–" Hodge began to say, but was cut off when the rune seared his neck.

Alec frowned. "Valentine's what?"

Hodge groaned, and took a breath before trying again, "The monster's son. There must be some reason why the roaches are coming out of the woodwork again, right?"

Alec was shocked, but he did his best to keep his composure and acted as though he already knew.

Hodge sighed and said, "I'll leave you to it."

"Hodge," Alec called out, befor he could go. "Thank you."

Hodge smiled and walked back up to Alec. "You remind me of me, Alec. A loyal friend standing in the shadow of the chosen one."

Alec scoffed and looked away.

"Hey…" Hodge said, then slapped a hand on Alec's neck. "Don't make the same mistakes I did. Look where it got me."

Alec watched the man leave, and wondered if Jonas was actually Valentine's son… and whether Jonas knew that was who his father was.

* * *

"Izzy," Alec called out as he climbed up the steps of some kind of metal room. "I got your text. Where are we exactly?"

"It's an old meatpacker's service entrance. If we go back there, we come up into the basement of the Hotel DuMort." Izzy smiled, smug. "Perfect, right? We distract the vamps, Jonas and Jace have time to find Simon."

"Okay," Alec said.

"'Okay'?" Izzy quoted back to him and pulled to a stop. "It was hard work interrogating Meliorn to get this intel."

"Great job, Izzy." Alec grinned, amused by her attempt to mess with him. "You have faerie dust on your dress." He started heading down the corridor. "And I hate being the distraction."

"I don't." Izzy followed him at a distance. "You know, you'd be a lot happier if you weren't so freaking repressed," She called after him. "Alec? Hello?"

Alec rolled his eyes and ignored her. He continued on and pretended he couldn't hear her.

His tactic worked for about five minutes.

"You're really not gonna talk to me, are you?" Izzy asked as she followed after him.

Alec started pulling on his gloves, and deigned her with a response, "That's because you have no idea what you're talking about."

"But I do." Izzy caught up to his side. "You're hiding from yourself, not me. You have feelings, whether you like 'em or not, Alec."

They came upon a ladder, and Alec began climbing. "This is not the time or the place, Izzy."

"I don't know," Izzy shrugged. "Looks pretty smooth so far." She clambered up the ladder after him and they stepped out into a maintenance room. Izzy led him over to a door on the opposite end and opened it as she said, "This must be the way."

Evidently, it was the way, but a dozen or so vampires were waiting for them on the other side. Alec rushed forward and slammed the door shut. With Izzy's help, they held the door closed as the vamps tried to break it down. "Well, not that smooth," Izzy said. Alec began to search for his stele, and Izzy continued, "Any day now."

"Yeah, if you hold the door still," Alec began, frustrated. "It might be a lot easier." He tried to draw the rune on the door, but it wouldn't stay. "It's not taking it."

He felt Izzy take the blade off of his back and step away. He focused on keeping the door closed, and soon she was back with a length of metal bar. She shoved it through the handle on the door and behind a nearby pipe, effectively wedging the door shut.

"Whoever said, 'The pen is mightier than the sword,' was an idiot." Izzy commented as she walked away like a badass in an action movie.

"When you're right, you're right," Alec admitted and followed after her.

They put some distance between them and the door, and waited for the vampires to bust it open. "Do you think they know where we are?" Izzy asked.

Alec chuckled, "That's the idea, right?" His expression grew serious as he saw a vamp get his hand through a gap in the door. "How long do you think we have to distract them for?"

"Ten more minutes," Izzy said.

"Ten minutes? Are you kidding?" Alec notched and arrow and continued, "We're liquid lunch in five."

"So let's distract them," Izzy said.

Alec nodded. "So let's distract them."

"You better get ready," Izzy said.

Alec agreed and raised his bow, aiming it where he thought the first vamp would break through.

When the door opened, Alec let Izzy take down the first vamp. He aimed his arrow at the next one and let it fly, but that vampire ran out of the way and instead the one behind him took the blow. He dissipated in a wave of smouldering ash.

Alec tracked the other vampire, and then let an arrow fly as soon as it showed itself.

"This is fun," Alec admitted, smiling slightly.

He prepared another arrow and aimed it down the hall. All of the vampires ducked out of the way.

"Keep coming, boys," Izzy called to them.

There were a few more rounds of vampires after that, but he and Izzy managed to dispatch them all. Alec was pleasantly surprised, and turned to Izzy. "Let's go find the others."

She nodded, and they rushed off down the halls. They ran into a few more vamps along the way, but a swift arrow and a stab with the seraph blade easily got rid of them.

Alec turned the corner into a room where all the action was taking place. When he arrived, the vampire fighting with Jonas took him hostage, holding him in front of himself like a meatshield.

Alec grinned at the challenge. "Okay," he said. Instead of aiming for the vampire, he instead shot the wall above.

The brick crumbled and opened up. Sunlight shined down on the vampire and Jonas escaped just as the vamp was destroyed by the sun's rays.

Alec then watched, impressed as Jonas picked up his dropped seraph blade and stabbed a nearby vampire in the gut.

Satisfied, Jonas stepped back and lowered his blade.

Izzy walked forward, a wide, amazed grin on her face. "He did great, right?" Izzy turned to Jace.

"Yeah, you did," Jace told Jonas. "You should be proud."

Jonas didn't seem all that moved by his compliment. "Where's the kid?"

"The mundane?" Alec clarified. "We should probably find out."

* * *

The four of them walked through the halls, looking for the mundane. Alec couldn't wait for this mess to be over with.

They finally found the right room, and everyone pulled to a stop as they realised that Simon was also being held hostage.

"Put away your weapons." the vampire holding Simon at gun– or rather, fang– point demanded. "I've had more than enough of your friend for one day. I'd love to cut his throat. Don't give me a reason." When the group hesitated to sheathe their blades, the vampire shouted, "Put it away!"

With some reluctance, the group did so.

Alec watched as Jonas then narrowed his gaze and took a step forward. His eyes flickered to Simon. "You okay?"

"I wouldn't say okay–" Simon began, but was cut off.

"Stop talking!" the vampire snapped. "Now... if you would all just follow me." He started backing out of the room, then yelled when they didn't immediately follow, "Let's go!"

He led them around a corner and up some stairs, "Come on, let's go! Up here, now!"

The vampire stopped in a corner and waited for them to pass. "That's right, get down there now!" Alec held up his hands in a show of peace, skirting by the vampire and moving down the hall. "Get down there or I'll kill him right now!"

They made it to the door, and the vampire instructed them again. "Open that door right now or I'll kill him right here."

Alec did so, not wanting to risk it. He shoved open the door and stepped outside. He heard a whimper of pain, and then a scuffle.

"Go! Take him! Go!"

He turned to see that Simon had been freed, but now the mundane had stopped to talk to the vampire… great.

"I don't know how to thank you," Simon said.

"Don't thank me. You mean nothing. This is about Valentine and the chaos he can bring."

"Come on!" Jace said and tugged the boy outside.

"Jace Wayland!" Jace paused at the threshold. "Remember who your friends are."

Once it was clear that the vampire was finished, Jace slammed the door shut, and walked away.

The mundane was panting and looked like he was close to losing it. "Shouldn't we get the hell out of here?" he asked.

"Why, Simon?" Jace asked, clearly annoyed by the idea.

"They're right downstairs."

"Let them come after us," Jace gestured around them. "They'll just turn into a bunch of fried eggs out here. I thought you said you watch movies."

They then all left Simon there to climb up a level and give the mundane some space.

Alec glanced at Jonas, and then grabbed Jace and Izzy and dragged them off to the side. He looked to Jonas once more and the man didn't seem to care that he were clearly isolating him from the conversation. "Look," Alec began. "Hodge spoke to me back at the Institute when I went to get my gear."

"Did Hodge find you out?" Jace asked, concerned.

"No– No that's not the problem anyway." He leaned closer to the other two. "He suggested something, a conclusion he made."

"What?" Jace asked. Noticing Alec's hesitation, he repeated, "What, Alec?"

"He said that Jonas was Valentine's son."

Jace began to shake his head even before Alec had finished. "No, he can't know that for sure."

"Jonas was hiding the memory he recovered," Alec said. "I think he knows."

"Stop," Jace warned. "Even if it's true, it doesn't matter."

"We should just ask him," Izzy insisted.

All three turned to look at Jonas.

Jonas glanced up at them, looking bored. When they continued to stare at him, Jonas sighed and ambled over. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

"The memory the Silent Brothers showed you," Alec prompted. Jonas appeared disinterested. "I think I know what it was. You're Valentine's son, aren't you?"

Jonas stared at Alec and cocked his head. "What answer do you want to hear, Alec?"

"The honest one," he replied.

Jonas nodded. "Okay then. Yes, I'm Valentine's son."

The other two didn't seem all that concerned by this new information, but Alec inhaled a sharp breath. He felt inexplicably betrayed, and he lashed out before he could stop himself. "So what? You've shown up out of nowhere. Are you a spy? Is this all part of your plan?"

Jonas' fists clenched at his sides, and he looked like he'd been genuinely hurt by Alec's suspicions. "You think I wanted to be involved in all of this  _shit_? I would've happily stayed out of it and  _away_  from any problems  _Jocelyn Fray_  caused. I don't want anything to do with her, let alone her ex, but here I am trying to help save all of your asses. So don't you dare say  _anything_ like that to me again."

Alec's mouth  _had_  been open to continue his rant, but at the end of Jonas' speech it clamped shut with an audible  _clack_  as teeth knocked against teeth.

The other's remained silent as Alec and Jonas stared at each other. After a while of intense staring, Jonas' expression evened out into something calmer. "You done?" He asked.

"Yeah," Alec replied, voice barely more than a murmur.

Jonas nodded, accepting his reply in an instant, and that was that.

* * *

As soon as they got back to the Institute, Alec split off to get some space for a while. He took a shower, letting the warm water soothe his tense muscles and calm him down. Then he climbed out, dried off and got dressed.

He had to talk to Jonas.

Alec was pretty sure he didn't need to apologise, but he wanted to clear the air anyway. If they were going to be working together, he didn't want their time to be filled with strife and resentment.

 _You like him_ , a voice taunted in the back of Alec's mind that sounded suspiciously like Izzy.

He cleared that entire notion out of his mind and headed back to the main area, figuring that was a good place to start.

Finding Jonas was easy enough. He was sitting at the table where they'd discussed their plans earlier. He was staring at the table top, seeming like his mind was a million miles away.

"Hey," Alec greeted and sat down across from him.

Jonas didn't look up right away.

"Jonas?" Alec prompted when the man continued to stare at the table top.

Jonas' head snapped up. "Oh, sorry." He smiled sheepishly. "What did you say?"

"Nothing yet." Alec shifted in his seat. "I just… Are we… okay? Like, you're okay with what happened earlier?"

Fuck, he was so bad at this.

"Huh?" Jonas seemed confused for a moment. "Oh, yeah,  _that_." He shrugged. "No hard feelings."

Alec relaxed, feeling genuinely relieved. "Good. I'm glad." He glanced around and then realised that Jonas had been left here alone. "Where is everyone?"

"You mean my babysitters?" Jonas asked. Alec felt his lips twitch in amusement against his will. "Izzy took Simon to the infirmary. I'm not sure where Jace went."

He yawned suddenly, and then looked embarrassed.

"You're tired," Alec noted. He got up and jerked his head to the hallway. "Let's go find you a room so you can get some sleep."

"No, really, I'm okay," Jonas tried to refute.

Alec looked at him pointedly.

"Okay… Maybe I could use some sleep."

The man got up and followed as Alec led him up the stairs and down the way a bit. Eventually they came upon a room Alec knew he could have. "After you," Alec said, and held the door open.

Jonas stepped inside and gasped in amazement. "Alright, I'll admit. This room thing might not be so bad."

Alec shook his head slowly, incredulous. He watched as Jonas walked right up to the bed and collapsed on it. "Ahh," he sighed in relief.

"If you want to shower, there's a bathroom through there-" Alec pointed to the right "-I'll go and grab you some clothes. Be right back."

He left without giving Jonas a chance to respond, and soon was back with some clothes he just randomly picked out. (He may have picked the ones he thought would suit Jonas the best.) When he stepped inside the room, Jonas was already asleep and breathing deeply.

Alec watched him for a moment, entranced. He came back to himself with a shake of his head and went to put the clothes down on a chair in the corner.

Satisfied, Alec left the room and shut the door quietly on his way out.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Alec woke at his usual time and started his pre-breakfast workout. He padded over to the matt in the corner of his room and went through some warmups before getting up and starting on the punching bag.

He was in the middle of, well, _punching_ it when the door burst open. "Alec, I had this dream and–"

Alec paused as he heard southern accented voice cut off. He took a step back and turned to face Jonas. Much to his amusement, the man was staring at him with wide, stunned eyes.

"You had this dream?" Alec prompted, and thought it best he put a shirt on. He couldn't help but feel a little smug (and a little abashed) to know he caused Jonas to have this reaction.

"Um…" Jonas stared at him as he pulled a singlet on. "A what?"

"A dream," Alec repeated, and felt a smirk pull at his lips.

Jonas swallowed again and shifted a bit. "Er… Yeah. A dream." He blinked a few times, and finally his gaze lifted from Alec's chest to his face. "It was like… a memory."

Alec made a noise that signalled for Jonas to continue.

"Um. It was Jocelyn, and she mentioned the name Magnus–"

"Magnus Bane?" Alec asked, perking up at the possibility of a lead.

Jonas grinned, clearly relieved. "I'm glad you know what that means. I think he's the one who took my memories away."

Alec nodded slowly. The idea was definitely plausible. "Magnus' magic is so powerful, he can invade even the Silent Brothers. If he's the warlock that took your memories he could be the key to everything."

Jonas took a moment to process his words. "Okay, so who is he?"

"Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn," Alec said.

"So he's kind of a big deal."

Alec's lips twitched in amusement. "Kind of. We should go tell Jace."

He started forward, eager to tell his parabatai the good news.

"Wait," Jonas reached out and grabbed Alec's arm as he passed. "You guys seem to think my memories will have all the answers, but there might not be anything there. I might not remember anything that will lead to the Mortal Cup or to Jocelyn and Clary."

Alec surprised himself when he didn't immediately free himself from the man's grip. Instead he was swept up in Jonas' concerned, deep brown gaze. "None of that matters," Alec told him when he finished speaking. "It's the only lead we've got right now, so we'll do what we have to."

Jonas swallowed, and Alec's gaze flickered to watch the bob of the man's Adam's apple before he met the man's peridot gaze again. "If you say so," Jonas said.

He then let go of Alec's arm and headed out of the room.

Alec glanced down at his arm, missing the other man's touch almost instantly.

* * *

Jace wasn't in his room when Alec and Jonas checked. "Something's happened," Alec said and turned to hurry down the hall. He heard shouting, and found Simon yelling at his parabatai.

"...You don't get to talk to me, Captain America."

"Considering I'm the guy with the weapons, I pretty much get to say what I want," Jace retorted.

"Okay, come at me, bro!"

"Oh, yeah?" Jace questioned, sounding thoroughly amused.

"Yeah!"

Alec raced forward and hauled Simon back before the two could fight. Jonas hurried forward and stood in front of the mundane. "Calm down," Jonas said, coaxing the boy in front of him.

"Don't tell me to calm down," Simon snapped back. He tore himself from Alec and stormed passed them all leaving the building.

"Oh drat," Jonas said.

Alec quirked a brow at him. "Is that the best you can do?"

Jonas shrugged. "I don't like to curse. It's a personal preference."

"Sure," Alec said.

"So…" Jonas stared at the door. "We're just going to let him go?"

"He made his choice," Jace said. "I gave him plenty of chances. We've got bigger problems to deal with."

Jonas appeared somewhat upset by the idea of giving up on the mundane, but he followed along with Alec, and Jace led them back to their usual table.

Alec, Izzy and Jonas took a seat, whilst Jace went to get Hodge.

When they returned, and Hodge started explaining to them who Magnus was, Alec noticed that Jonas was barely paying attention. He looked a million miles away.

"Hey," Alec whispered to him.

Jonas blinked and looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"Something on your mind?" Alec asked, growing concerned.

Jonas nodded slowly. "I guess you could say that."

"If you're not feeling well, this can wait."

"No," Jonas said quickly. "I'm fine, just... distracted."

"Okay." Alec relented, not wanting to make the situation worse… whatever the situation was. "You'll let me know if you need a break, right?"

"Pardon?"

"You're going to let me know if you need a break," Alec repeated, phrasing it as a statement this time.

Jonas sighed, but said, "Sure."

Alec didn't even remotely believe him.

"...Now, Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks I've ever known." Hodge was saying. "He has a deep mistrust of Shadowhunters."

"Well, then why did he help Jocelyn remove my memories?" Jonas asked. "Isn't she a Shadowhunter?"

"Yes, one of the best. But 'help' might not be the most accurate word. Now, did Magnus provide a service for Jocelyn? Perhaps. But more than likely, your mother paid Magnus handsomely for his magic."

Again, Jonas tensed as Hodge called Jocelyn his mother. Alec felt his protective instincts flair up for a moment, wanting to reprimand Hodge for his mistake. He held back though, realising that it really wasn't any of his business.

Jace stepped forward and sat down. "Warlocks usually require payment before they help anyone with anything."

"Word from the Clave is that most of the warlocks have gone into hiding since Valentine began hunting them," Alec added.

"Valentine must be searching for the warlock, where did Jocelyn—" Hodge cut off as his rune flared, and he leant over the table to stop himself from falling.

"You alright?" Jonas asked.

Hodge didn't respond, clearly needing a moment.

Jonas turned from him and faced the group. "So how do we find Magnus?"

"We don't. Magnus finds us. We'll set up a meeting," Jace said. "Somewhere protected. Lure him out of hiding."

"And I know exactly where we do it," Izzy said. She got up and pulled a picture up on the display.

"A Downworld rave," Jace said. "Nice, Izzy."

"And where'd you get that?" Alec inquired.

"During my surveillance of the Downworlders. From what I hear, Magnus likes to party."

"He'll never go for it," Alec said. "Not with Valentine trying to kill him."

"Of course he will," Jace argued, glancing at Alec. "He'll blend in. Hide in plain sight."

"If Magnus is coming out of hiding," Izzy said. "He's going to one of the biggest parties of the year."

"Never underestimate Magnus' hedonism. Or his greed," Hodge said with a smirk. Then he turned towards the training room. "Come with me."

Alec got up to join the others on their way to the training room, eyeing Jonas closely as the man got up and followed as well.

Hodge was kneeling in front of a floor safe, and he waved his stele over it to activate it. The safe's lid popped open with a _thunk_ , and Hodge slid the panel of wood off, revealing a necklace. "Is that real?" Izzy asked, impressed, as Hodge grabbed it and stood up.

"A four-karat, unheated Burmese ruby." Hodge dangled it in front of them. "And this necklace has special meaning to Magnus Bane as it was a gift from him to his then lover, Camille Belcourt."

"Who's Camille again?" Jonas asked.

"The vampire that took Simon hostage."

"Ah," Jonas nodded.

"Magnus bought it in eighteen-fifty-seven for the price of his London townhouse. Now," Hodge said with a smirk. "The jewel is enchanted by a spell that alerts the wearer to the presence of demons.

Izzy reached out and held the jewel. "It's so beautiful."

"Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace," Hodge said. "Offer it to him. He might just take the bait."

"I'll send Magnus a fire message to arrange the meeting," Jace declared and walked off to do just that. "We have to get to Magnus before Valentine does."

Since the meeting was over, Alec decided it was time for some breakfast. He was going to ask Jonas if he was hungry, but the man raced off before Alec could reach him.

"Do you think something's going on with Jonas?" Alec asked his sister.

Izzy considered his question for a moment. "I think he just needs some time to adjust."

"Okay," Alec said, but he felt it was more than that. He didn't say anything else to Izzy, he just went and got himself some food along with an extra meal to give to Jonas. The guy probably didn't know where to get something to eat, so he figured he'd do him a favor and bring him breakfast.

...Not because he was worried about Jonas or anything.

Jonas' door was closed when Alec arrived. He knocked on it, and when he didn't hear a response, opened the door and stepped inside.

The room was dark, but faintly lit by the sunshine streaming through the windows. Alec spotted Jonas curled up on the bed and approached hesitantly. "Jonas?"

"Go away."

Alec frowned. "...I brought you some food."

No response.

Alec began to worry. He set the tray of food down on the side table and drifted to the edge of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Again, no response.

Alec reached out towards the guy, not exactly sure what he was planning to do. It didn't matter anyway, because almost immediately Jonas shot to his feet and backed away. "Get out!" He yelled, sounding panicked. "Get out, get out!"

"Okay," Alec soothed the man, holding out his hands in a placating manner as he backed towards the door. "Alright, I'm gone."

As soon as he reached the door, he stepped outside and shut it behind him.

Alec worried over what to do for a few moments. He decided that he'd give Jonas some space, and he'd check on him again in a bit.

Troubled, Alec forgot about his own meal waiting for him and headed to the training room to take his mind off of things.

Izzy was already there when he arrived.

"Pick a weapon," Alec said. "I suggest your whip."

"What's wrong with you?" Izzy asked.

"Nothing."

Alec reached out and snatched the arrow back that Izzy had grabbed.

Izzy raised a brow at him, studying him closely. "We're going to a Downworlder's rave. You should be a little more excited."

"It's a mission," Alec pointed out. "Not a party."

"Yeah, whatever." Izzy walked over and grabbed a seraph blade. "Before Jonas got here, every day was the same. Go on a mission, kill demons. Go on a mission, kill demons. At least now things are interesting."

"'Interesting'," Alec repeated. "Valentine is alive and actively seeking the Cup. He threatens our entire world. And we're helping his son. Who has basically no experience with our world and is probably going to get himself killed. On top of that, we're gonna end up overpaying some warlock who may or may not have information we need. So, no, Izzy I don't find it interesting."

"Whoa," Izzy said and scoffed. "Feel better now?"

"No, I don't." Alec's denial was met with a smirk from Izzy. Alec felt his own lips shift into a smile. "Okay, maybe a little."

"You can't keep bottling things up, Alec. It's only a matter of time before they explode. And not the fun kind of explode."

"What's this about exploding?"

Alec looked up to see Jonas walking towards them. He breathed an internal sigh of relief, glad he wouldn't have to go and check up on the man. Alec had like, no idea how to deal with that kinda situation. He was bad enough with his own feelings, let alone with someone else's.

 _You care about him_ , a tiny voice said, that _definitely_ sounded like Izzy (which was ridiculous because she was standing right there.) _You'll have to figure it out at some point_ , the voice concluded.

 _Shut up_ , Alec replied.

...To himself.

Yeah, he was an idiot.

"No one is going to explode." Alec put down his arrow and walked over to Jonas, glad to see a lack of reaction to his approaching presence. "Did you eat?"

"Eat?" Jonas asked.

"I brought you food earlier…" Alec tried to prompt.

Jonas shook his head. "Well, I uh… No. No I didn't eat."

Alec sighed. "C'mon then, let's get you some food."

"Sounds good to me," Jonas replied.

Alec led the man down the steps, ignoring the feeling of Izzy's stare on his back.

Belatedly, he realised that Jonas was talking with a southern accent again. Alec wondered if he would ever find out why the man's accent kept switching. He figured that if his curiosity ever got the best of him, he'd just ask.

* * *

That night, the group arrived at the Downworlder rave. The plan was that Jace would take Jonas inside, whilst Alec and Izzy secured the perimeter. Before they split off, Alec took Jace to the side to talk to him.

"Keep an eye on Jonas," he said. "He's been zoning in and out all day."

Jace nodded. "I noticed that too."

Alec, relieved to know his parabatai was on his side, left and joined Izzy. They took their time making sure the rave was safe, and Alec triple checked _everything_. He was probably going a little overboard, but he really was worried about Jonas.

(Not that he'd ever admit that to himself.)

"All clear," Alec declared as he reunited with Jace and Jonas. Jonas appeared startled to see Alec there, and flinched away from him before he composed himself a moment later.

Alec tried not to worry about it.

(He was definitely worried about it.)

"Do you think red's my color?" Izzy asked to no one in particular.

When Jonas appeared uninterested, Alec said, "Yes."

"Thanks, brother." Izzy pressed her hands over the jewel sitting on her chest. "Damn, I make this necklace look so good."

"Will you take it off?" Alec asked. "I'm certain Magnus Bane doesn't want drool on his ruby when we make the exchange."

"You know, I wouldn't be so sure. Most men like it when I admire their jewels."

"Can you... just give it to Jace?" Alec pressed.

Izzy chuckled and said, "You're such a buzzkill."

Thankfully, she handed the necklace over.

When Jace spotted Magnus, he turned to Izzy and Alec. "Blend in. Keep your weapons ready."

The two siblings nodded and headed off, slipping into the crowd easily. Alec kept a close eye on Jonas the whole time. As Jace and Jonas conversed with the warlock, Alec bristled as he picked up on the clear signs of flirting Magnus was throwing Jonas' way.

Alec climbed to a higher level to get a better view on things. He cast a wary eye over the crowd, and swiftly notched an arrow as he noticed someone suspicious enter the club. As soon as he saw the man draw a seraph blade, Alec let the arrow fly.

It hit its target, and Alec paused, pleased with himself.

"Look out!" he heard his sister shout from somewhere in the crowd.

Alec hurried downstairs to check the body. He swept through the crowd and passed the warlock and Jonas. He knelt down over the dead circle member, his back toward his friends.

"Who are you?" he heard the warlock ask.

Alec got up and checked out the way the now-dead guy had entered, but didn't see anyone else suspicious. He returned back to kneel over the body, belatedly noticing that the warlock had disappeared.

"The area's secure," Izzy said as she walked over. "Looks like he was the only assassin."

"He has a Circle rune on the base of his neck," Alec told the group.

"They found us. It's not safe here," Jace declared. "We've got to go."

They all left the rave swiftly, with Jonas trailing behind. Alec dropped back to keep pace with the man. When Jonas' steps faltered, Alec quickly called to the group. "Guys."

Izzy and Jace turned to look at Alec, but their gaze was immediately drawn to Jonas as the man swayed on his feet.

"Jonas?" Alec prompted, tempted to reach out and support him, but not wanting to upset him.

"I need a minute," Jonas said. "I'm not– I'm not feeling well."

Alec searched the man's gaze. "Okay. Do you want to sit?"

"No," Jonas said. He looked up and met Alec's gaze. "Can I lean against you? Just for a moment, I– I trust you." Jonas swallowed and repeated, almost to himself, "I trust you."

"Of course," Alec said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jonas practically fell against him. Alec supported the man easily, and soon he had Jonas on his feet again, though he was holding up most the man's weight with an arm around his waist.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked. "Did you get hurt?"

Jonas shook his head. "No, it's not that." He swallowed again and held out his hand, not meeting anyone's gaze. "Here, I snagged a button from Magnus. Maybe it's magic, or something."

"I thought I saw you get something." Jace reached out and collected the button. He then walked away to put some distance between them and began to draw a rune on his hand.

"So… the button _is_ magical?" Jonas asked.

"He's tracking Magnus," Alec explained.

Izzy nodded. "The button belonged to Magnus. Jace can pinpoint the location using that."

Jace tried tracking the button, but evidently his attempt didn't work. "No. The signal's not strong enough. Magnus must be blocking the track."His gaze landed on Alec. "Let's do this, Alec."

Alec glanced at Jonas. "You okay if I let go?"

"One sec," Jonas said. He inhaled and exhaled a few times, as though calming himself. Then, he nodded. "Yeah."

Alec gradually let go of Jonas, and was relieved to see that he could now stand on his own. Alec then walked over to Jace and they locked hands, staring into each other's eyes.

"What's happening?" Alec heard Jonas ask.

"Parabatai tracking," Izzy explained. "When parabatais track, their power grows stronger. Jace and Alec are gonna track Magnus together."

Their audience was silent then, and Alec focused on the task at hand. He got a little lost in Jace's gaze as it went on, but he couldn't' really help himself.

Jace was…

Alec just had a lot of feelings about Jace.

After a while, Jace shook his head to clear it and let go of Alec. "Got him," Jace declared, clapping Alec on the shoulder and walking away.

Disappointed by the end of their moment, but refusing to show it, Alec walked back over to Jonas. The man still looked kind of… off, and Alec asked, "Do you want a hand?"

"Please," Jonas said. He reached out, and Alec entwined his hand with the other man's.

The touch felt oddly intimate, and the feeling was only intensified when they continued to bump shoulders along the way.

Alec, for the life of him, couldn't bring himself to mind.

* * *

Magnus Bane fought to save himself from yet another pesky Circle member, even going so far as to knock over a bookcase that he'd spent hours organising exactly the way he liked. Alphabetical by author's last names, and then subdivided by genres.

It was such a shame to see his hard work ruined.

The Circle member was undeterred. He stepped over the fallen bookcase and twirled his seraph blade. "Your magic's strong, warlock. Much stronger than that horned weakling I killed this morning."

"Elias..." Magnus murmured, as he recognised who the man was talking about.

The Circle member took that moment to dash past him, and Magnus shot a blast of magic at the man but he ducked out of the way.

"That was his name," the Circle member said. The two began circling each other. "Well, lucky for us, he sold you out before I took his warlock mark. Cat's eyes. Be a nice addition to my collection—"

The man cut off with a cry of pain as an arrow lodged in his leg. He fell to the ground, and Magnus swiftly disabled him with a blast of magic.

The Circle member collapsed, and Magnus heard someone say from behind him, "Well done."

"More like medium-rare," Magnus quipped back, and then turned around to see who'd helped him. He felt his mouth drop open into a small 'o' as his gaze landed on the gorgeous and _incredibly_ attractive man that he'd spotted before, at the rave.

Magnus shifted his expression into something charming and approached his knight in shining armor. "I'm Magnus," he said. "I don't think we've been formally introduced."

"Alec," the man said, an adorable, almost dazed smile growing on his face. "Oh, uh... We should– Uh... should really... You know, probably get… you know…"

He pointed awkwardly out the door.

"Right," Magnus grinned. He could not deny the fact that he felt an inexplicable and immediate _connection_ with the man in front of him. A similar discovery to one he had earlier. Twice in one day, who knew that he could be so lucky. "We should join the party."

Alec nodded, and said, "Right." He then flashed Magnus one last, beautiful smile before dashing off.

Magnus watched Alec run off for a moment, and then turned back to scan his eyes across the destroyed room. "This fight's far from over."

* * *

After the lair had been cleared out, Magnus ordered everyone to regroup in the main sitting room. He'd just decided on a place to move the hideout too, when he heard someone call out his name, "Magnus."

Magnus turned, smiling pleasantly as he spotted the other man acting as one of his new fixations. Zoe, a young daughter of a fellow warlock, stood in front of a shaggy haired, wonderful man. Jonas had grown a lot since Magnus had last seen him. He'd filled out his once lanky limbs and was now about as tall as Magnus himself, perhaps even taller.

Zoe ran up to Magnus and gave him a hug. He pulled back after a moment and said, "Go join the others, my dear. This is no place for a little girl. Go."

He watched the girl run off, and then turned to Jonas. "I heard what you did for Zoe," he began. "You risked your life without hesitation to save a young warlock child."

"Mhmm," Jonas hummed in reply.

"You're not like the others, Jonas." Magnus made sure not to say the man's last name. He'd mentioned it before only to cause the Shadowhunter discomfort. "Most Shadowhunters protect Downworlders out of sense of duty, but you saved young Zoe because of what was inside your heart."

Jonas stared at him, waiting patiently for Magnus to say more.

With some reluctance, Magnus acquiesced, "I can summon the demon, but you must make the demand. Now, I warn you, retrieving your memories will not be easy."

Jonas didn't seem all that surprised or bothered by Magnus' warning. "Nothing seems to be easy these days."

"True," Magnus allowed, amused by the man in front of him. He then, reluctantly, turned from the Shadowhunter to look around the room thoughtfully. "But we're not safe here. The lair's location has been compromised." Magnus stepped back to adress the room. "Hold tight, everyone, we're about to move."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Alec walk over to stand next to Jonas. Jonas didn't appear all that bothered, but Alec seemed slightly relieved now that he was by his fellow Shadowhunter's side.

 _Interesting_ , Magnus thought. He made a mental note of what he'd seen, and then turned his attention to the problem at hand. Thrusting both of his hands out, he charged up his magic, and then joined his two palms together. His magic exploded outwards, coating everything in a shimmering blue layer.

He then jerked his hands down and up, teleporting them away to Brooklyn.

"Ah," Magnus sighed in relief as they arrived. "Much better." He took in the new view out the windows in front of him, before turning and looking about apartment. "Ugh," he murmured as he took in the changes to the place. "It's inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate." He turned and shifted his gaze pointedly between Jonas and Alec. "Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this is one is just sloppy." He emphasised his words by righting a flipped table with the heel of his foot.

Magnus watched his two quarries. The taller one— Alec— stared at Magnus, perplexed. Jonas on the other hand, seemed utterly disinterested with the entire situation and, perhaps even the world.

The warlock eyed the two for a moment, not quite sure how to take their reactions. Then Magnus turned to the lady that was standing behind him, Isabelle. "I believe in payment for services rendered." He let the jewel dangled from his hand, offering it to her. "Thank you for defending the warlocks."

The Shadowhunter gave a weak chuckle. "I couldn't."

"Oh, but you could. And you should." Magnus walked around to her back and clipped the necklace on. "The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years. Besides, this would look silly on your brother."

Magnus glanced over to see that the man in question had drifted over to the blonde Shadowhunter, taking Jonas with him. Magnus met Alec's gaze briefly, taking in the man's puzzled expression, and quickly turned back to the Lightwood in front of him. Magnus leaned in to whisper, "About Alec, is he more of a flower or cologne man?"

Izzy smiled and offered a weak, unsure chuckle in reply.

Someone cleared their throat, interrupting Magnus' questioning. He turned to look over at Jonas, who appeared impatient. "The demon?" He prompted.

"Are you certain?" Magnus inquired, stepping out from behind Izzy. He felt a bundle of nerves build in his gut. He'd just been gifted with an introduction to this incredible man, and he'd rather not lose him anytime soon. "Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal."

Jonas replied with a bland, steadfast look.

"Okay." Magnus raised a finger and pointed it towards the three Shadowhunters grouped up in the corner. "Pretty boy, get your team ready."

Jace started to move forward with a whispered, "You know what to do."

"I'm not talking to you," Magnus said, pressing a hand against the man's chest to stop him. "I'm talking" —he stared past the blonde to point more directly at Alec— "to you."

Alec looked smug for a moment. He then noticed that he had eyes on him and shifted his expression into one of confusion, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. It was disgustingly adorable, and Magnus turned to Jonas before he could start gushing at the man.

He waved a hand toward Jonas. "Come with me."

The warlock walked onwards and through a set of doors, which he threw open with grace. He felt a presence at his side and began to explain. "Everyone wants the Mortal Cup. Don't trust anyone, especially not the Clave."

He then stopped and faced Jonas.

"Thanks," the man huffed out after a moment.

Magnus held up a set of chalk. Jonas took it and looked inside. At the Shadowhunter's confused expression, Magnus explained, "If a person wants their memories returned, they must draw the pentagram to summon the demon." Magnus showed the man a diagram in an old tomb that he held up. "I can walk you through it, if you like."

Jonas swallowed, a flicker of emotion crossing his face. Magnus was amused at the sight of hesitation in his gaze. Apparently going up against blade-wielding Circle members was no big deal for Jonas, but drawing with chalk? That seemed to pose a problem.

"Art," Jonas said with a scoff. "Of course," he glanced up at Magnus and continued, "I'm sure I'll get it eventually."

Magnus nodded, then turned and snapped his finger at the blonde man that wavered outside the doors. "Shadowhunter," Magnus called, and the man hurried over. "Prepare Jonas as best you can."

He really hoped that this wasn't going to end badly, not just for the sake of their safety, but for the good of the entire Shadow World as well.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry this is late. I took a break to revamp some future bits of the story, so I didn't wanna post this chapter before I did that. It was mostly just tweaking small details, nothing major.

 

Alec watched as Jace was called into the room, and a few seconds later the warlock exited. Eager to find out what was going on, Alec stepped through the doors and found a disgruntled looking Jonas. Jace seemed equally as annoyed.

"What's wrong?"

Jace shook his head, frustrated, and faced Alec. "He won't let me draw the rune on him."

It took Alec a moment to figure out what his parabatai meant. Jonas would need another rune now that they were about to go up against stronger demons.

"It's his choice," replied Alec, though he began to worry about their lack of other options.

"I'll let Alec do it," Jonas said, surprising Alec.

Jace glanced between Alec and Jonas for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Fine," he relented. Jace's lips thinned as he walked off, leaving them to it.

Alec frowned after his parabatai, before looking back to Jonas. "You could've let Jace do it," Alec said. "He would do just a good as job as I'm going to."

"If I can't do it. Then I want you to do it."

Jonas' statement left no room for discussion.

Not trying to overthink what that might mean, Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out his stele. "This will hurt," he warned the man.

"Then do it quickly." Jonas paused, averting his gaze as he grit out, "Please."

Alec's lips twitched ever so slightly, amused by Jonas' aversion to the word 'please', before he focused and got to work. He wasn't going to enjoy this, but it had to be done.

* * *

Alec watched as Jonas drew the circle. At first, his movements were jerky and the lines were jagged, but passable. After a while, Jonas' strokes evened out into smoother lines, and the shift from jerky movements to practiced strokes occurred a few more times until finally, Jonas was done.

He then sat there for a while, just staring at what he'd drawn. Alec watched him, and when Jonas continued gazing at the pentagram, he cleared his throat.

Jonas flinched at the sound, and then glanced at Alec. A look of relief crossed his face and the man got to his feet and walked over to where Alec was standing. He wasn't too far away, but he'd left Jonas a bit of room to draw the pentagram.

"What's going on?" Jonas asked.

Alec eyed the man closely, wondering why he was asking that. "We're getting your memories back."

"How?"

"That pentagram" -Alec pointed at what Jonas had just drawn on the floor- "will summon the memory demon that has your memories."

Jonas swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Alec asked. He'd just had to explain the plan again. "What, did you forget?"

"No," Jonas replied. Then he reconsidered. "Yes."

Alec stared at him. "How could you forget that?"

Jonas looked stricken, like he didn't know what to say.

He was spared from having to answer when Magnus entered the room, along with the rest of the group. "Not bad," he said, then continued, "And I would consider myself a fine judge of art, considering I knew Michelangelo, who was excellent in bed, I might add."

Magnus' words effectively distracted Alec rom his concern over Jonas. He felt torn between being embarrassed and charmed when the warlock look pointedly at him, and then Jonas in turn. Alec didn't quite get why the man seemed to be flirting with the both of them.

Was this some kind of game to him? Did the warlock just flirt with anyone? Or was he toying with Alec and Jonas, trying to cause disharmony amongst the group?

Alec pushed the line of thought from his mind. There were more important things to be focused on.

Jace noticed Magnus' look and shot a disturbed glance in Alec's direction. Alec shrugged and tried for an expression of confusion (which he sort of felt.) It must have work, because Jace let him be.

Magnus turned and walked around the edge of the pentagram, coming to stand at the head of it. "Okay. We're ready." He began to roll up his sleeves. "Everyone take your rightful place on the pentagram."

Izzy moved to stand at the point next to Magnus, and Jace positioned himself next to her. Alec was already standing at the other point next to Magnus so he stayed there. Jonas looked around, and figured he was to stand at the last remaining point.

"We must initiate a bond. Once this bond is sealed," Magnus emphasised his words by holding up a single finger. "It cannot be broken until the demon retreats. No matter what happens, we must not let go of each other's hands."

He looked to everyone in turn, before his gaze finally landed on Alec. Slowly, the warlock extended his hand to him.

Alec eyed the offered hand for a moment, before reaching out and grabbing it. As soon as their hands were fully connected, Alec's body jolted and his eyes were locked with the warlock's for a long moment. It felt… intense. Alec finally managed to jerk his gaze free and turned to Jonas, holding out his hand.

Jonas stared at it for a second, before exhaling and grabbing Alec's hand.

The jolt occurred again, and Jonas' eyes went wide as he met Alec's gaze.

Alec tried to offer what, he hoped, was a reassuring look. Jonas swallowed and turned to Jace. They locked hands, and then Jace turned to Izzy.

"You people are pathetic," Izzy said. She then easily grabbed Jace's and then Magnus' hand.

 _Show off_ , Alec thought fondly.

"I will lead the ceremony," Magnus told the group. "And you all must do exactly as I say. The demon's name is Valak. And at some point, he will ask for payment in exchange for Jonas' memories."

"What do you mean?" Jace asked. "What kind of payment?"

"We will see." Magnus rolled his shoulders. "Let us begin."

The warlock recited words in Chthonian, and once he was done, Izzy spoke up. "The necklace. It's pulsing."

The pulsing started weakly, and then increased in frequency.

Suddenly, everyone looked up at the same time as the memory demon showed up. It dived down from the ceiling, arriving in a swirl of a smoke-like mass

"Valak is among us," Magnus shouted. "Do not break the bond."

A set of eyes burned within the writhing mass. It was an intimidating sight, but Alec did his best not to let it get to him.

"It is time," Magnus declared. "The demon demands payment."

"What does it want?" Alec asked, having to shout to be heard over the noise of the demon.

"We must each relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most."

Izzy went first, and Alec saw his face appear in front of him. Which, hey, was kinda sweet.

Jonas was next. Alec didn't recognise the face that appeared, but it appeared to be a boy about Jonas' age, with spiked, brown hair and a sharp face. The boy's eyes were a stunning shade of azure, and Alec wondered briefly what this person meant to Jonas.

Then, Alec felt something taken from him, from deep within him.

For one, brief second, Alec thought that the memory might be of Jonas.

The memory that showed before him was much, _much_ worse than one of Jonas. It was of Jace.

"No, it's not true!" Alec denied immediately, glancing in panic at his parabatai as he continued, "The demon deceived me!"

"Do not break the bond!" Magnus yelled.

Izzy tried to console him. "Alec, it's okay!"

"No!" Alec shouted and let go of the hands he was holding.

"Alec!" He heard Jace shout.

Everyone was thrown backwards as the demon raged. "No!" Magnus cried. "I cannot contain the demon much longer!"

Alec glanced over at the warlock, seeing how the man was straining from the intense use of his magic. He made a decision then. This was his mistake, he had to fix it.

He got up and raced towards the demon, not quite sure what he was planning to do. He felt someone collide against him, and knew immediately that it was Jace.

"No!" Jace shouted.

Alec was thrown away as the demon grabbed Jace. Izzy rushed forward and reached for Jace's arm, holding onto it for dear life. "Jace!" Izzy exclaimed and then to Alec yelled, "Grab him! Grab him!"

Alec jumped to his feet once again and grabbed the other arm of his parabatai. "Hold on!" he called, desperate for Jace to be okay.

"The demon is growing stronger!" Malec warned them.

"He's slipping!" Alec shouted.

Then, suddenly, the demon withered away and died. As it faded, it was revealed that Jonas had stabbed it with a seraph blade.

Jace's body, no longer being held by the demon, fell to the ground.

Falling to his knees, Alec's hands fluttered helplessly over his parabatai's body. "Jace, get up," he tried rousing him, to no effect.

"Will he wake up?" Alec heard Jonas ask Magnus.

"I don't know. Does he normally just lay like that without moving?"

Alec looked up to see Jonas shoot Magnus an annoyed look. "I really hope that that was supposed to be a joke."

Magnus held his hands up in surrender. "Oh," the warlock paused. "Just so you know, you killed the demon, your memories are now lost forever."

Jonas didn't appear all that surprised by the news.

Turning his attention back to his parabatai, Alec said, "Get up. Jace."

Izzy moved to check his head or something, but then suddenly Jace pushed himself up, coughing and sputtering. Alec got to his feet and backed away because _he'd_ done this, it was his fault Jace had been hurt by the demon.

He stood by the doors, staring at his parabatai from a distance.

Magnus walked over to him, but Alec couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Alec."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alec replied without even glancing at Magnus.

He heard the warlock shift closer. "You will," Magnus said, and then walked away.

Not long after, Izzy appeared.

Alec took one glance at her, decided he didn't want to deal with _that_ right now, and left.

* * *

Alec was so caught up about what happened that he completely forgot to ask Jonas how he could've forgotten about the memory demon… which was kind of ironic. He had shut himself in his room as soon as they got back to the Institute.

He'd then proceeded to lie down on his bed and contemplate his life choices.

After a while of silence and being lost in his own thoughts, the door to his room creaked open and Jonas popped his head in. Alec turned to look at him, remembering the last time he'd been here and how important the reason for his visit had been.

"If you're not too busy thinking about puppies and kittens and rainbows, can we talk?"

Alec exhaled in a soft puff and sat up, kicking his feet over the edge of the bed.

Jonas took that as his cue and he approached, pulling out that strange necklace with the purple shard. "I was holding this, trying to figure out if I recognised it. I… had a vision, or something. Jocelyn was there, still alive and suspended in some kind of magic bubble, and also a man."

"What happened?"

"He spoke to me," Jonas said. "He looked right at me and said, 'You want your mother? Give me the Cup.'"

Alec didn't miss how Jonas' lips thinned around the word 'mother'.

"Do you think it was Valentine?" Alec asked.

"Maybe. I've been kind of hoping it was Santa," Jonas said. "That'd be far less creepy."

Alec felt his lips twitch, but he tried to remain serious because this _was_ serious. "Did it look like Santa?"

"Not… technically," Jonas admitted. "But we can't really know what Santa looks like, right?"

"I think it was Valentine," Alec told Jonas apologetically. "And he can speak to you through that necklace? Here, in the Institute?"

"I mean I wasn't holding anything else suspicious at the time."

"Okay." Alec nodded to himself as the puzzle pieces clicked into place. "So it's a Portal shard."

Jonas' brows raised in curiosity. "A Portal what?"

"It's a part of a portal. I'm guessing it still works, kind of." Alec stood up and crossed over to Jonas. "Where are they?"

"If I knew their location I would've started with it. I feel like that trumps the whole Santa debacle," Jonas replied, dripping with derision.

"Were there any identifying characteristics?" Alec inquired, wanting to be thorough. He ignored Jonas' sass for the moment. "Equipment, weapons, photographs?"

Jonas crossed his arms. "Oh yeah, now that you mention it, there was a big map with a red dot on it showing me exactly where to find them."

Alec sighed and backed off. "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure."

"I get it," Jonas said. "But tone it down a bit? You're going to hurt my feelings."

Eyeing the man closely, Alec replied, "Emotions are nothing but a distraction. You're ruled by them. We're taught to control them."

"And how is that working out for ya?" Jonas replied.

Alec ignored his jab. "It is my job to protect the Institute. If Valentine can see in, that's a door I have to shut. Now... let me take a look at that thing."

He held out his hand.

For a moment, Jonas stared at Alec with those big brown eyes of his. Then he scoffed and handed the necklace over.

Alec glanced at it, and then nodded at Jonas. "Now, it's in the proper hands."

He stalked past Jonas and out the door. The other man hurried to catch up. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Alec answered. "To put this somewhere safe. Where no one could be tempted to use it."

"We should use it," Jonas replied. "Alec, we should use it to get to Valentine."

"If I were Valentine, I'd make you think that you could rescue Jocelyn." Alec led the way to the training room and up the steps. "And then I'd lure you to me and leverage your life for the Cup."

He crouched over the floor safe and activated the rune on top. The safe rose up from the ground and Alec then traced the rune on the side to unlock it.

He placed the necklace in the center, and triggered the safe to close up and lock.

Alec stood and turned back around to find that Jonas was staring at him.

"What?"

"It's just… why is there storage for important objects in the floor of the training room?" Jonas asked. "I mean, that's just asking for it to get stomped on or whatever and for everything inside to be broken. Also it's just a really weird place to have it."

Alec directed a judging look at the man (because honestly… what? just... what?) before walking past and throwing over his shoulder, "Leave it there."

* * *

The next day, Izzy turned up in his room when Alec was getting dressed. He'd already pulled his jeans on, and was tugging a shirt over his head. She walked up to him, examined him for a moment, and then started digging through his draw.

"If you want to look good for Jonas and Magnus, then you should wear this one instead."

Alec frowned and spotted the shirt she'd picked out. It was the same color- black, and the same style- short sleeved tee. "First of all, I don't want to 'look good' for Jonas _or_ Magnus–"

Izzy chuckled. "You keep telling yourself that."

"Second of all," Alec continued, ignoring her interruption, "That is the exact same shirt as the one I'm wearing."

She shrugged. "You won't know unless you try."

Alec stared at her, wondering when exactly his sister had gone insane. She continued to stand there, though, unstoppable, immovable. Deciding it was easier to just give her what she wanted, he ripped off his shirt and pulled on the one that she had picked out.

"I knew it," Izzy said, sounding smug.

Alec bit back a groan. "You didn't know anything. I'm just doing this to get you out of my hair."

Izzy smiled, all sweet and innocent. "Sure. Bye!"

She strutted off then, and Alec glared at her retreating back for a moment before looking in the mirror.

This shirt was a size smaller and fit his body tighter, though not uncomfortably so. It helped emphasise his build, and he puffed out his chest a little bit just to test it out.

Okay… Maybe she was right.

(He wasn't going to tell _her_ that, thought.)

Alec took one last glance at his reflection and then headed out of his room to grab some breakfast.

* * *

Later on, Alec found everyone standing by the training room and chatting with his mother. Alec studied Jonas briefly, taking in the tense line of his body and his clenched jaw. Filing his observations away, Alec walked over to them and said, "Mother. Welcome back. We didn't expect you."

Maryse replied as she stepped towards him, "You should be prepared" -Alec leaned over to kiss her cheek quickly before pulling back- "whether you expect me or not."

"I am," Alec said, clasping his hands behind his back. He glanced at Jace. "We are."

"We'll talk about the Institute later," declared Maryse. "Right now, we have a bigger problem. The Seelies have stopped communicating with the Clave and won't explain why." As she spoke, she circled their small group of four. "My guess is they're still upset we asked them to send scouts to look for Valentine, but no one in their realm will talk."

Izzy stood straighter. "I have Seelie friends."

Maryse's lips quirked as she leered. "Yes, I know about your friends. Isabelle, we stay separate from the Downworld for good reasons. The wrong move, the wrong word… Do you think there is such a thing as harmless rebellion? Who knows what offends these creatures? Maybe you told him– them… something they shouldn't know. Maybe you–"

Jonas growled low in his throat, an almost animalistic sound that silenced Alec's mother. Alec shot the man a worried look, but Jonas had turned his head so he was staring intently at the wall across from him.

Jace took that opportunity to speak up. "Wait, wait." He frowned. "I don't understand. You're laying all this on Izzy for having a friend in the Downworld?"

Maryse's gaze snapped to Jace. "When someone upsets the natural order, everything falls apart."

"I can help," Izzy offered, gaining Maryse's judgemental attention. "I know how to talk to Seelies."

"She's right," Alec said. "She can visit with Meliorn and see what he knows. I could go with her if you want."

Maryse's lips thinned as his suggestion. "I'd rather Jace" —she reached out and put a hand on Jace's shoulder— "goes along this time." Maryse inhaled and stepped away. "Alec, you stay with the Fairchild boy. I want him under control. He's caused enough trouble already."

At her words, Alec bristled. Not only had she just tied Jonas in with Jocelyn— which Alec knew made the man feel uncomfortable— but now Alec was supposed to 'get him under control.' He held his head high, though, and refused to reward her with any reaction, positive or negative.

He noticed Jonas begin to tremor out of the corner of his eye, and swallowed, concerned for his… friend.

"The Clave counts on us Lightwoods to maintain order here," Maryse reminded them all.

"You don't need to tell me that," Alec responded. He then added, "If the mission is important to the Clave, I would prefer to be the one who goes with Isabelle."

Maryse chuckled. "You're all so eager to do what you would prefer. It's time to face the truth. Life is not about what you want to do, it's about what must be done. I have given you your assignments, now carry them out. You" —she pointed to Izzy and then Jace— "and you, with me, now."

She then spun around and walked off, with Izzy and Jace hurrying after her.

Alec exhaled, not exactly a sigh— Maryse didn't deserve that. He then turned to Jonas. As his gaze landed on the man, he froze. Jonas looked… Jonas looked furious, but terrified. Strong, but shaken.

"I can't stand her," Jonas snarled. "She reminds me of _Jocelyn_ " —Jonas hissed the name— "and I definitely do not need another one of _those_ in my life."

Alec felt the inexplicable need to move closer and comfort the man with a hug… or something.

He wanted to help, but he didn't know how.

Then his gaze caught on how the man's fists were clenching and unclenching, and Alec had an idea.

He walked over and grabbed two staffs, then returned and held one out to Jonas.

Jonas' gaze flickered between the proffered staff and the other one in Alec's left hand. "You… want me to spar with you?"

Alec stared at him, because _obviously_ he did. They weren't about to bake a cake with the staffs.

Jonas straightened, looking almost amused underneath that kind of bored-mask he sometimes wore. "I prefer to avoid violence if it's not necessary."

Alec didn't miss a beat. "You could use the training."

"Trust me," Jonas's lips twitched into a smirk. "I don't need any training."

"Good, so then this will be fun."

* * *

Five minutes later, Alec was knocked on his ass for the seventh time in a row.

Jonas chuckled and offered a hand to help Alec up. Alec decided that, even though his body ached, it had all been worth it to see Jonas smile.

He accepted the hand and Jonas easily hauled him to his feet. "I've gotta admit, I'm surprised." Alec paused to dust himself off. "I mean, you're obviously not formally trained, but you make up for that with speed and strength."

"...Thanks?" Jonas's expression shifted into one of reluctant appreciation.

"Let's give this another go."

They squared off again, and Alec made the first move. He struck out with his staff, jabbing forward. Jonas blocked the blow and pulled his staff back to hit again. Alec grunted as he defended against the attack. He hadn't been lying when he'd said Jonas was strong.

"Watch your grip," he warned as he noticed Jonas' hand slipping. Jonas nodded and dodged the swing of Alec's staff. He counter attacked with a swipe of his staff, trying to cut through Alec's torso. Alec dodged again and retaliated by swiftly disarming Jonas.

Jonas huffed and used his hands to block Alec's next attack. Alec let go off his staff before Jonas could use it against him, and dived for the staff he'd previously disarmed. Once he had a weapon again, he spun just in time to block a blow Jonas had aimed for his head.

Then, before giving Jonas a chance to defend himself, Alec swung his staff low and knocked the man's feet out from under him. Jonas yelped as he fell, but then sat up to glare at him, looking reluctantly impressed

Alec smirked, relieved that he hadn't lost _again_. "See? Fun."

"It's still seven to one," Jonas pointed out. He then rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's pick this up after lunch," he declared and got to his feet.

"Okay," Alec said, but Jonas had already walked off.

Shrugging to himself, Alec went to get cleaned up, then he'd get himself something to eat.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Jace caught up with him eventually. Of course, it had to be in an elevator where it was impossible for Alec to avoid him. He felt uncomfortable with Jace ever since the dilemma with the memory demon. Still, Jace was his parabatai, he'd do his best to keep things normal. Or, as close to normal as possible

"Hey."

Alec inclined his head in greeting. "Hi."

Jace sighed and began without preamble, "I just don't get it," the elevator doors opened and they stepped out, Jace continued, "You're the acting head of this Institute. If there's a diplomatic mission, you should go. Let's switch assignments."

"Nope," Alec said. They made their way past the rows of monitors and working Shadowhunters. "This time I'm actually gonna obey orders, and babysit the newbie."

"Jonas?" Jace glanced at Alec. "He's more like a responsibility."

As they reached the top of the steps, Jace grabbed Alec's shoulder. "Hey," he said. Alec turned to face him. "Hey, you'll keep an eye on him, right?"

Alec remained silent, avoiding the other man's gaze.

Jace slapped him on the arm lightly and asked, "What is wrong with you?"

Alec sucked in a breath, nervously meeting his parabatai's gaze. "I, uh…" He stuttered for a moment. "You have every right to be mad at me."

"What did you do?" Jace grinned. "Throw my leather jacket in the washing machine again?"

"This isn't a joke," Alec replied in an impatient tone. He hesitated for a moment, building up the courage to speak. "At Magnus's. The demon image of you..."

"That?" Jace asked, sounding surprised. "You love me... so? I love you, too, Alec."

Alec felt frozen, his brain had ground to a halt. _Jace loves me?_ He thought, desperate for it to be true.

"Come on, man." Jace smiled and patted his shoulder. "We're parabatai. We're brothers."

Reality came crashing down on Alec, and he looked away, feeling both embarrassed and sickeningly disappointed. The worst thing though, was that he wasn't surprised. He knew– Had _always_ known that Jace couldn't love him like _that_.

...He'd still hoped, though. Deep down inside of him, and that hope had helped him to deny the truth.

Now that the truth was staring him in the face? Alec felt _broken_.

"We've spent almost our whole lives together," Jace continued, oblivious to Alec's internal meltdown. "How could we not love each other? This is what's been bothering you? Seriously?"

At his inquisitive look, Alec plastered on a smile and stammered out, "Yeah. Yeah– I, uh– You're right. That's true. I just thought you'd think that–"

"What?" Jace questioned. When Alec didn't continue, he said, "Whatever, okay. If you want to follow Mom's orders tonight, that's great. But… please, just do me one favor… Swear to me you won't take your eyes off of Jonas. He's good people, and our best shot at finding the Cup."

Alec stared at Jace.

Jace chuckled to himself, and admitted, "I… I can't believe I even asked you that." He grinned and pulled Alec into a hug. "You won't let me down."

Alec melted into the touch, but did his best to hold himself together. He clapped Jace twice on the back and then the two split apart, with Jace turning and walking off into the distance.

Alec watched him go, and then felt the inexplicable need to go and see Jonas.

So... that's what he did.

* * *

Alec made sure to knock on Jonas' door when he arrived at the man's room, because he understood _privacy_ , unlike some people. (Though, it was probably Alec's fault because he often forgot to shut his door.)

When Jonas answered and opened the door, Alec stormed inside and began to pace.

He felt eyes on him for a moment, before the door was shut and Jonas said, "What happened?"

Alec ground his teeth and walked faster. "Jace."

"That guy you have a crush on?"

Alec froze. His head snapped in Jonas' direction, eyes blazing.

Jonas crossed his arms.

"I don't have a crush on him," Alec said.

Jonas' quirked a brow.

Alec huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed, foot tapping out a staccato rhythm.

Jonas exhaled in a harsh rush of air, as though this whole situation was beneath him. "He's straight."

" _You're_ straight," Alec retorted without giving it much thought.

Jonas _laughed_. "No I'm not."

Alec's gaze snapped up, finding an amused smirk on the man's face.

Alec wasn't sure exactly what happened in those next few moments. He saw a gorgeous man with shaggy, auburn locks and full pink lips turned up at one edge. He saw a man, that was _not_ straight, that was attractive and amazing and brave and _right there in front of him_.

He saw a man named Jonas, and Alec wanted to kiss him.

Before he could second guess himself, Alec surged to his feet, walked up to Jonas, grabbed the man's face between his hands… and kissed him.

For a moment, for one blissful, _perfect_ moment, Alec was lost in that kiss.

Then, the moment was broken when Jonas shoved Alec away, _hard_.

Alec stumbled back, nearly falling on his ass as he barely managed to regain his footing. He stared at Jonas, feeling nothing but empty shock. The auburn haired Shadowhunter sneered ( _sneered_ ) at Alec and said, "No. _No_ , and don't you ever try that with me again."

Jonas then spun on his heel and disappeared out through the door.

* * *

Alec felt awful. There was a horrible, _burning_ ball of emotions sitting heavily in the pit of his stomach. He'd tried to list all of the things he felt: embarrassment, regret, sorrow, anger, frustration, confusion, fear, hopelessness… but the list just went on for too long. He gave up, because trying to narrow down all of his emotions down was only making him feel worse.

Alec hid in Jonas' bedroom for a good ten minutes before stepping out into the hall. He then carefully made his way to his own room, not wanting to run into anyone (especially Jonas) on the way. Once he was safely in his room, Alec climbed into bed, curled up on his side, and shut his eyes.

He remained like that for a good long while, until finally he found the will to get up and face the world again. Alec rubbed at his face and stamped down on the emotions whirling in his gut.

When he emerged into the main room, his gaze caught on a familiar head of shaggy, auburn hair in the training room. Confused as to why Jonas would be there, Alec went to investigate.

Jonas wasn't really doing anything. He was staring at the table of weapons, seeming deep in thought. Alec, unsure on how to proceed, cleared his throat.

When that didn't draw the man's attention, Alec called, "Jonas."

Jonas looked up, gaze flittering around as though confused, before his peridot eyes landed on Alec. A bright, but shy smile grew on the man's face. "Alec!"

Alec stared at him, completely bewildered by his reaction.

"I'm not late, am I?" Jonas asked.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Alec walked over over to Jonas and whispered, "You're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I kissed you!" Alec blurted, a little louder than he had intended. He glanced around worriedly, but nobody seemed to have heard.

"You kissed me?" Jonas asked, sounding confused.

Alec swallowed. "Fine, if you want to pretend it didn't happen, then I can do that."

"Wait." Jonas' lips stretched into one of the widest and happiest smiles Alec had ever seen. "You _actually_ kissed me?"

"Nope," Alec said, because if this was a game? He wanted to win it.

"Oh," Jonas said, brows furrowing as though he was confused.

If anyone had a right to be confused, it was Alec. He pointedly avoided Jonas' gaze and made to leave. He knew that there was shit to be done, but Alec was feeling rather petulant in that moment.

Before he could, Jonas reached out and grabbed his elbow. "Hey," Jonas said, and Alec reluctantly looked up to face him. The auburn-haired Shadowhunters' expression was sincere, eyes beseeching. "Whatever… Whatever I did to upset you, I'm sorry. Really."

Alec wasn't sure what to say to that.

As though sensing Alec's uneasiness, Jonas tried for a change of subject. "I was thinking, if we can't use the crystal, then we'll have to go with Plan B."

"Plan B?" Alec prompted, running on autopilot.

(Admittedly, a part of him felt a little bit better now that Jonas had apologised. Though, he was still _very_ confused.)

"There was a box." Jonas shaped his hands as though to show the size. "Tiny, looked intricate, probably not worth anything though. Shame." He chuckled to himself in amusement. "Anyway, Jocelyn would pull it out every now and then and cry all over it."

"'Cause?"

Jonas explained, "It had the initials, JC, on top. Jocelyn said my father's name was Jonathan Clark. Maybe there's something inside that could help us track Valentine."

Interest piqued, Alec asked, "Where can we find the box?"

"I think it's still back at the loft." Jonas grinned. "Let's go get it."

Alec's phone began to ring, and he dug into his pockets to grab it as he replied, "Absolutely not. Not without permission."

Jonas scoffed, clearly unhappy with Alec's answer.

"Just–" Alec tried to say something, but gave up and instead walked to the side of the room so he could answer the phone. "Hello? Who is this?"

" _Alexander. Hi,"_ a tinny voice greeted through the speaker. " _It's Magnus. We met the other day. You know, with the demon."_

"Uh, yeah…" Of _course_ he remembered the warlock. With the guy's flirting and the undeniable attraction Alec felt for him, how could he not? "Yeah, hey, what's up?"

" _I was just thinking it was really nice getting to know you. You seem... sympathetic. Would you like to go out for a drink some time?"_

 _A drink?_ Alec thought. His mind flashed back to his attempted kiss with Jonas earlier. Clearly _he_ wasn't interested, but Magnus seemed to be. "That sounds fun, um… When?"

" _How about right now?"_ Magnus asked.

Alec paused and turned around, because he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Jonas and… and Jonas was gone. "Um… You know, now's not a really good time for me." Alec felt panic seize his chest, but he pushed that aside and focused. "Another time? Gotta go."

He hung up and dashed out of the training room. He ran down the halls, figuring he'd check to see if Jonas was in his room before he did anything drastic. Skirting between two other Shadowhunters, Alec skidded around the corner and sprinted over to Jonas' door.

Without bothering to knock, he shoved the door open and looked around.

The room was empty.

 _Okay_ , Alec thought. He tried not to worry too much, because at least he knew where Jonas was going. Still… He was pretty damn worried.

* * *

Alec finally caught up with Jonas when the man stopped to buy a donut. _A donut_.

Jonas had bought the donut and made himself invisible again by the time Alec reached him.

"What are you doing?" Alec questioned as he neared. Jonas turned to stare at him with innocent, doey eyes as he bit into his donut. "Do you realise how dangerous this is?"

Jonas shrugged and continued eating his donut.

Alec scowled at him. "How did you even glamor yourself anyway?"

"Jace gave me a stele."

Alec scowled at the man. "When?"

Jonas chewed and swallowed before answering. "A while ago, does it matter? My plan worked, I forced your hand. Now you're out in the open world." Jonas smirked. "Enjoy the fresh air, Alec."

"'Open world'," Alec repeated with a scoff. He paused for a moment, taking in their surroundings. The only thing that really caught his attention were all of the people moving about, doing absolutely nothing. He gestured around vaguely. "Mundanes. Look at them. Running around like ants." He turned back to Jonas and said, "Let's go."

He started walking, and as he passed Jonas he saw the auburn haired Shadowhunter stuff the rest of his donut into his mouth. After a few moments of walking in silence, Alec felt a hand on his elbow, stopping him.

With extreme reluctance, Alec turned to face Jonas.

"You know what? If you were any more gloomy right now, you'd have your own personal storm cloud following you." Jonas frowned, appearing concerned. "What is it? Is it Jace? Is this because you love Jace?"

Alec jaw clenched at his words, and he replied, "Don't start this again."

Jonas chuckled. "What's the big deal? We all suffer through unrequited crushes." Jonas paused at his words, looking sheepish as he avoided Alec's gaze. "Admit it, you're in love with Jace."

"Forget it. You know what?" Alec glared at Jonas, and the man's eyes finally met his. "You're in love with Jace."

"No," Jonas said, and then huffed. "I have much better taste than that."

"Oh, yeah?" Alec eyed him closely. "Like who?"

Jonas shifted uneasily and averted his gaze. "Does it matter?" Jonas finally looked up and continued, "Alec, we have a real problem to solve, okay?" Jonas nudged Alec with his elbow. "Come with me."

Alec sighed and rolled his eyes. "This better be quick."

* * *

When they neared the loft, Jonas led him off the main pathway and Alec eyed him, confused. "Where are we going? Isn't it the other way?"

"This is a shortcut," Jonas said.

"All right, well," Alec began. "We have to be careful. There are eyes all over this place and everybody in the Shadow World's looking for you."

Jonas smirked. "Don't worry, this is a special secret that I had to trade all of my pokemon cards for."

"'Pokemon cards'?" Alec repeated, and then said, "Nevermind. Lead the way."

They made their way around a wall and then into a fenced off area. Jonas walked over to the ladder of a fire escape and began to climb. Alec watched him as he waited, gaze sliding over Jonas' form, from the defined line of his shoulders, to the slight curve of his ass.

Clearing his throat, Alec focused on the ladder and began to climb.

"I haven't done this in four years," Jonas said, sounding like he was finding this whole thing _fun_. "It's gotten a lot more… viney since I've last been here."

"Viney, sure." Alec scoffed. "Climbing a fire escape excites mundanes. I'll never understand you people."

"I thought we agreed I was a Shadowhunter now? Or at least a 'newbie' Shadowhunter."

Alec shot him a look. "There are moments when you don't particularly suck," he allowed.

"Gee." Jonas narrowed his gaze. "Thanks."

They came to a stop at the top of the fire escape and Jonas stopped. "Huh." His green gaze scanned across the walls of the building. "I don't remember it looking like this."

Alec told Jonas, "These are runes and wards of protection cast by a warlock." The two Shadowhunters climbed off of the fire escape and moved to examine the runes. "Some of these have been here for years."

"Protection, huh?" Jonas scoffed, as though Alec's words were some kind of joke to him. He walked up to the wall and started tracing the runes.

Alec watched Jonas, entranced by the man's nimble fingers as they ran over the brickwork.

"This is from when Simon and Clary were engaged to be married," Jonas said as he came upon a heart with initials in it.

"They were engaged?" Alec asked. "I'm almost certain I don't wanna hear that story."

Jonas shot him a wry look. "I'll spare you the details." He exhaled in a slow waft of air. "A part of me was always jealous of Clary. Things were... different for her."

"You two are twins, right?" Alec asked, Jonas nodded. "Were you close?"

"No," Jonas said, and that was that. He walked over to the door and tried to open it.

It wouldn't budge.

"I don't suppose you have a key?" Jonas asked Alec.

Alec shot him an incredulous look. "It's _your_ house."

"Mmm," Jonas hummed non-committedly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black satchel. Alec watched as he knelt in front of the door and opened up the pouch. Jonas then selected a tension wrench and a pick.

"You know how to pick locks?" Alec asked. He was both impressed, and a little concerned.

"Nope," Jonas said. "But it can't be that hard, right?"

"But then why do you have a lock picking kit?"

Jonas shrugged. "It's not mine."

Alec stared at him, feeling utterly lost.

He watched the auburn haired Shadowhunter work at the lock for a few minutes in silence, then, miracle of all miracles, the lock turned and Jonas grinned. He tried the knob, ignoring the deadbolt for the moment, and the door swung outward.

"I'm glad I only had to do the one lock," Jonas said in relief. "I really had no idea what I was doing."

Alec looked to the sky, questioning why this was his life. When he looked back down, Jonas had already disappeared inside of the building. Alec stepped inside and caught up with Jonas in the hallway.

"So, where do we find this box?"

Jonas replied immediately. "In the room where she keeps all of the boxes, duh."

"And where is that?" Alec questioned.

Jonas stared at him.

Alec sighed. "You were joking."

Jonas smirked. He then pointed at a room in the corner. "You try over there, I'll go–"

"We're not splitting up."

"...Okay," Jonas said, drawing the word out. "Then we'll start with Clary's room."

"Why Clary's room?"

Jonas' expression soured, shifting into something dark. "Because I would rather not start with Jocelyn's room."

"Oh," Alec replied eloquently.

Jonas led the way into a room that was burnt to a crisp. He stood off to the side, taking it all in. "Unless Clary's new aesthetic is crispy chicken, I'm guessing someone tried to burn any evidence that might've been in here."

Alec nodded in agreement. "Start looking," he said, and they did.

He didn't really understand a lot of what he saw. Most of it was burnt beyond recognition, and everything else was just random junk that was of no help to them. A few times, though, he spotted Jonas staring at such pieces of junk for long stretches of time

Alec was the one to find the creaking floorboard. It took him ages, but when he did he crouched down and pulled aside some carpet. Then, using his nails, he lifted the board and reached inside.

"Jonas," Alec called as he pulled something out. The man wandered over, and Alec turned to him, holding the object out. "Is this the box you remember?"

Jonas took the box, staring at it. Then he said, "Yep," and handed the box back to Alec.

"You don't want to do the honors?" Alec asked. Jonas shook his head.

Growing concerned about his… friend's silence, Alec pried open the box and frowned at the contents within. "What the–"

A crash outside interrupted his question, and Alec's head snapped up.

"There's someone here," Alec said. He turned and shoved the box into Jonas' hands. "Get what you need. Do not move until I get back. We've been here too long."

He rushed outside and to the fire escape, climbing down a few rungs of the ladder before dropping to the ground. Drawing his bow, Alec peered out across the backyard. A rustle to his right caught his attention, and he snuck forward, notching an arrow as he went.

The bush rustled again, and Alec pulled back the string, aiming his bow around. He tracked the movement of some creature as it dashed all about the yard. Alec rushed to his left as he tracked a black blur dart out into the open. He let his arrow fly, but it embedded in a nearby pot plant.

His target, which he couldn't quite make out, raced out into the street. As it left through the alley, Alec's gaze caught on a passing truck and then the black sedan behind it. He watched as Jonas was dragged towards the car, struggling with all of his might.

Alec didn't hesitate.

He sprinted forwards, because _they had Jonas_.

He ran as fast as he could, faster than the human eye could clearly track, but the sedan sped off before he could reach it. Alec slowed to a stop, then spun around, as though a solution might just come to him randomly.

When it didn't, he rubbed the back of his head and hurried back to the loft.

He had to message Jace.

* * *

Alec paced around the burnt room, angry with Jonas, angry with _himself_. He'd messed up. Alec had left Jonas alone for _one second_ , thinking the man would be safer inside, and he'd been taken.

Alec cared for Jonas, the man that so selflessly devoted himself to finding the Cup and saving the Shadow World. He didn't want to lose him before they could even have a chance at… something. Whether it be just friendship, or the something more that Jonas continued to hint at but never confirmed.

Alec was leaning towards the former, considering the failure of a kiss they'd just had.

Taking his fury out on inanimate objects, Alec gripped a nearby stereo and ripped it from its place. He threw it against the wall and looked around for something else to smash.

"Where is he?" Jace questioned as he and Izzy rushed into the room, distracting Alec from his rampage. "Where's Jonas?"

"He's gone," Alec admitted, averting his gaze.

"What do you mean, gone?" Izzy questioned.

"He got arrested, when I was securing the fire escape. I–- I… I got distracted." Alec paused a beat to compose himself so he could continue. "It was an unmarked car. I… I– I don't know where they took him."

Alec's eyes flickered about, unable to focus too long on Jace as the man crowded in, appearing outraged and breathing heavily. "What did you do, Alec?" He asked. After a few, intense, _scary_ moments, Jace turned and stormed off.

Alec reached up and scratched at the back of his head again, feeling helpless. He watched as Izzy raced off after Jace. Alec figured that he should probably follow. He made sure he grabbed the box before he went after them.

He caught up with the other two outside in an alley. Jace held something between his palms, Alec wasn't quite sure what it was. Alec stood off to the side as he watched Jace try and track Jonas.

After a few moments, he winced and panted, opening his eyes as he cursed, "Damn it. He's not showing up." Jace turned to Alec. "We need to parabatai track."

Alec walked over to help without resistance. He wanted to find Jonas, he wanted to fix his mistake. Jace activated a rune on Alec's palm, and then clasped their hands together around a photograph. They tried for a while, before Jace scowled. "Alec, concentrate."

They tried again.

"Alec!" Jace snapped when it didn't work.

"I'm doing it," Alec said. "He's not showing up."

Jace ripped the photograph from Alec's hand and walked away.

"Just like I thought," Izzy announced suddenly. "He wasn't arrested."

Alec's heart plummeted to the bottom of his stomach.

"It was your job to look after him!" Jace shouted, as he rounded on Alec.

"I did my best, Jace."

Jace stared at him for a moment that felt like hours. He then exhaled in a harsh huff and looked away. Jace was disappointed in him. For Alec, that felt like a punch to the gut.

A shrill ringing noise pierced the air, startling the three Shadowhunters. Alec felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, and he pulled it out, frowning at the unknown number that was displayed.

He answered, "Hello? Who is this?"

" _Alec? It is me. I managed to borrow a phone."_

At first, Alec didn't recognise the voice with it's irish lilt and measured cadences. Then it hit him. "Jonas?" Alec replied, shocked.

" _I hope you are not disturbed that I have your number. I thought it best to have it memorised for emergency situ–"_

"That doesn't matter," Alec cut him off. He felt Jace and Izzy staring at him, glanced up to see them crowding in. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

" _I am as well as can be expected. I was stuck in a shipping container, but then I was released by an unexpected ally that_ tells _me he can save me, but I doubt it."_ There was a pause, and the muffled sound of another man's voice. Then, Jonas continued, " _I am at the Jade Wolf Chinese Restaurant on the pier at Greene St."_

"We'll be there soon," Alec told Jonas. "Don't do anything stupid."

" _Oh, please."_ There was a scoff. " _It is like you do not even know me, Alec."_

The call ended with a click, and Alec turned to the other two Shadowhunters. "I know where he is."

"Then let's go," Jace said, and the three raced off to save their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (hides under blanket) please don't be mad at me about the kiss!
> 
> All will work out in due course. Also, a lot of things will be explained very soon! Also, more Magnus!
> 
> on another note:
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support of this story! I hope you all enjoy these coming chapters, things really kick up a notch (both in the relationship aspect of things and the action/drama side of things.)
> 
> As always, I love hearing from you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes a heavy discussion and explanation of Dissociative Identity Disorder. If this is something you'd like to skip/not read, stop reading from 'it took him a couple of minutes' onwards. It's the last section of this chapter.

When they arrived at the pier, Alec led them straight through the many rows of shipping containers, searching relentlessly for Jonas. In the end, Alec rounded a corner and bumped right into the man.

"Jonas!" Alec exclaimed, relief coursing through him like a tidal wave. He grabbed the man by the shoulders and looked him up and down. "Are you alright? What happened? Where's that 'ally' of yours?"

"Ally?" Jonas repeated, sounding bewildered. He looked flushed, panicked. "I don't know, but I was lost and I didn't know where I was and I just tried to hide but then I heard you guys coming and–"

"It's okay," Alec soothed him, rubbing his thumb against the man's right shoulder. "You're safe now, we're here." Jonas sighed and sank into Alec's touch. Alec, remembering that they had an audience, turned to look back at his sister and parabatai. Jace looked impatient, but not suspicious. Izzy had a knowing glint in her eye, but seemed to be happy to let him have his moment without interruption.

Alec waited until it seemed that Jonas had calmed down. He then pulled back and said, "It's not safe here, we have to go."

Jonas nodded. "Yeah– Yeah, of course. Lead the way, hotshot."

Alec bowed his head and turned on his heel. He nodded to Jace and Izzy.

The four of them made their way through the maze of shipping containers and came out in front of the restaurant. They started to make their way down the path, but then a chorus of growls filled the air, low and threatening.

"Whatever you do," Izzy warned. "Do not make any fast moves."

Jace reached for his seraph blade. "This can't be good."

The Shadowhunters tightened ranks, and began to draw their weapons. Jonas, who was unarmed, positioned himself between Alec and Jace.

"We're surrounded," Alec said, taking in the ranks of werewolves closing in on them. "Everyone, stay together."

"You won't hear any complaining from me," Jonas replied.

Alec was going to be _pissed_ if they'd finally managed to find Jonas, only to lose him again.

The door to the restaurant swung open, revealing a tall, imposing man. Jace whirled to examine him. "Everyone, get back, that's the alpha leader."

As the alpha charged at them, there was a howl from behind and another werewolf appeared. It leapt over their heads and collided with the alpha. The four of them listened to the sounds of a fight as the two werewolves battled it out.

Alec glanced over at the group from the werewolf he was aiming his bow at. "He's challenging the alpha," he observed.

"Remind me to put this new wolf on speed dial," Jonas commented.

The palettes that the wolves were fighting behind tipped over. There was a pained whimper and then a flash of bright light. The four of them crept closer and found a dead body, looking torn to shreds.

"The alpha's dead," Izzy said, sounding shocked.

A moment later, the victorious werewolf emerged and shifted. Standing before them was a man Alec didn't recognise. The werewolf was muscled, fierce, _strong_.

Alec felt Jonas tense beside him.

The werewolves around them howled and shifted. They then knelt on one knee and bowed to their new leader.

"Let me guess," Jonas said. "He's the alpha now?"

Alec inclined his head, "Yep."

"Jonas," the new alpha leader called. "I'm sorry."

Alec, suffice to say, was confused.

"I don't want your apology," Jonas spat back.

The alpha flinched. "Jonas…" He started to speak, but then his eyes fell shut and he collapsed forward.

Alec saw Jonas hesitate, but then the auburn haired Shadowhunter walked forward to check on the alpha. Jace moved to help, but Alec stopped him with a hand on his elbow. "Hey," Alec began. "We need to get Jonas back to the Institute and stay out of Downworlder business."

"Why don't you stay out of it?" Jace countered. "I'm going to help Jonas."

Alec again stopped him from walking away. "We have to report back to our mother."

"You and Isabelle can do that," Jace said. He tucked his seraph blade away and continued, "I'll be fine on my own."

Alec glared at him. "You seriously think I'm going to leave Jonas so quickly after finally getting him back? Please." Alec walked with Jace over to the Downworlder. "But I still think Jonas should come back to the Institute as soon as possible."

Jace didn't deign him with a response. The blonde Shadowhunter knelt down to support the alpha, and Alec pulled Jonas aside to talk to him. Once they were out of earshot, Alec began, "His wounds are deep. Only a warlock's magic can cure an alpha's bite."

Jonas nodded, gaze determined. "Then let's get him to Magnus."

Alec went to help Jace carry the alpha to his car. "I'll drive," Jonas declared. "The last thing we need is to crash and die in a horrible fire."

Alec shot Jonas a look, but the man ignored it in favor of opening the door for the three of them. Jace and Alec helped the werewolf into the backseat, and then Jace sat in with the Downworlder and Alec went to sit in the passenger seat.

"Hey," Alec said as he watched Jonas fumble with his seatbelt. "Are you okay?"

The auburn haired man paused, and glanced in the rearview mirror before facing Alec. "No, but I will be."

Alec stared at him, and then gently reached out and pried the seatbelt from the man's tense grip, buckling him in with ease.

"Thanks," Jonas said, voice barely more than a whisper.

Alec nodded his head slightly, and Jonas shot him a small, sheepish smile. The sight of it made Alec feel all kinds of things that he would never admit to feeling.

At least… Not out loud.

* * *

Magnus Bane was not even remotely expecting a knock on his door so late in the evening. What surprised him even further was the sight that greeted him. Two Shadowhunters, and a bleeding werewolf. _Lovely_.

"Come in," Magnus said and hurried into his apartment. He threw the doors open to the lounge, and asked those following behind him, "What happened?"

"He was attacked," Jonas explained. "He needs a warlock. You're the best one we've got… The only one we've got– Take that how you will."

Magnus felt amusement flourish within him, but he ignored it to focus on the problem at hand. He stopped in front of his couch and laid a sheet over it just as Jonas and Alec neared. "Put him here," he said.

"Where are you?" Luke muttered and Magnus pressed a hand against the man's neck to steady him. "I can't find you." Magnus shushed him, wanting to calm his friend down, but his attempt didn't seem to make a difference. "Where are... where are you? Where are you?"

After a few seconds of incoherent muttering, the werewolf began to yell again, "Jocelyn! Jocelyn…"

"Not Jocelyn," Jonas said. " _Jonas_ " —he emphasised— "not Jocelyn. _Jonas_. Do you understand?"

Jonas' attempts garnered a reaction from the werewolf. "Jonas, listen to me. Listen... You have to listen to me." The man gazed intently at Jonas. "I have to tell you, just in case–"

"Don't be so morbid," Jonas interrupted, sounding torn.

"No, listen to me. You need to know! Listen–"

"Was he bitten by an alpha?" Magnus inquired, cutting in.

"Yeah, why?" Alec asked.

Magnus began to count down. "Three, two, one…"

Right on cue, Luke shot upward with a roar, his eyes blazing a vibrant green.

As he began to writhe in agony, Magnus dashed off to grab something to stop the R.W.J. He yelled back at the two Shadowhunters, "Hold him down."

He heard Jonas' reply. "Easier said than done!"

Only seconds later, Magnus returned, warning them, "We don't have a lot of time." He then jammed the bark into Luke's mouth, pressing the man's jaw closed so he would bite down on it. "It'll take a few moments to take effect."

"Is this supposed to happen?" Jonas asked, working along with Alec to hold the werewolf still.

"Random werewolf transformation," Magnus explained. "It's a side effect of the poison in the alpha bite."

Luke continued to struggle for a few more minutes before he finally calmed down enough that the two Shadowhunters could relax.

"That was…" Jonas swallowed. "Whatever. I'm glad it's over, I'm really not cut out to restrain a buff werewolf."

Magnus, seeing the opportunity for what it was, spoke up. "You both fared quite well," he told Jonas and Alec, a leisurely smile spreading across his face. "I'm impressed."

His compliment was rewarded with two bashful looking Shadowhunters. Jonas ducked his gaze, but looked up when Alec got to his feet.

"I need to go and sort things out at the Institute," Alec explained. "I can't leave my sister to handle things on her own."

Jonas stood as well. "I'll see you out," he said.

Magnus watched the two as they walked to the door. He took in their lack of personal space and the intimate way they walked side by side. He examined the way that they said goodbye to each other, and how reluctant they both seemed to part.

With a thoughtful expression on his face, Magnus turned away from the two of them and went into his storage to get some supplies. He had an antidote to brew, and a proposition to plan.

* * *

It took him a couple of minutes of searching to track down what he needed. He carried it all out into the lounge, telling Jonas as he passed, "The bark will stop the transformation for now, but Luke needs an antidote to stop the poison in his system." He placed what he had on a table. "And I don't have all the ingredients here."

Jonas sighed. "Well I guess it's on me to go shopping."

"No, you stay here." Magnus walked outside to pick some fresh herbs from his balcony. "Luke will need you if he wakes up."

Jonas pulled a face. "I'd really rather not…"

"I'll go," the Wayland boy declared as he entered the room.

Jonas turned around the Shadowhunter's arrival, and then gaped.

"Jace," Magnus greeted as he stepped back inside. He drifted over to Jace and tilted the man's chin in examination. There were cuts marring his skin, fresh and still bleeding. "What happened to you?"

"Luke's car may have found its way into a pole while I was stashing it," Jace explained. His expression shifted into one of exasperation as he walked forward to grab a tissue. "I don't do mundane driving."

Jonas quirked a brow. "Remind me not to let you try my bike," he commented under his breath.

"What do you need for the antidote?" Jace asked, ignoring Jonas' jab as he dabbed a tissue at his bloody nose.

Magnus listed the items as he hurried back over to the table to get started. "Phoenix eyes, moon salt, and Idris fulgurite."

Jace nodded. "I'll be right back."

"One more thing," Magnus called out. "I need Alexander."

Jace frowned and stuttered out, "Uh, why do you need Alec?"

"Virgin Shadowhunter energy," Magnus said. His gaze flickered over to Jonas to gage his reaction, amused to see the man had blushed and ducked his head.

Jace cleared his throat. "Um, Alec, yeah… I can't."

"Worst case scenario, tell him it's a favor for me," Jonas told the blonde. "But you guys need to hash it out. You've been skirting around each other like miserable, lonely puppies."

Magnus huffed in amusement at Jonas' description, and then stopped by Jace's shoulder to murmur, "Trouble in paradise?"

Jace's lips thinned into a tight line and he spun on his heel, heading off in a rush of angry Shadowhunter.

"Well," Magnus inclined his head. "That could've gone better."

"I don't know." Jonas pursed his lips in a considering expression. "This might be a step in the right direction. Though, considering my luck lately, it's probably going to end badly."

Magnus offered the man an empathetic look before he returned to his brewing stand. He began preparing and measuring out ingredients, trying to show off a little because he felt Jonas' gaze on his back.

He threw off unnecessary sparks every now and then. His actions rewarded him by attracting Jonas over to stand next to him. "So…" Magnus began as he chopped up some herbs. "You and Alec."

"What?"

Magnus elaborated, "Are you… together?"

Jonas frowned. "We only met a few days ago."

"Nobody should have to wait for happiness," Magnus said, measuring out some liquid. "Besides, I've been around for a while. I have an eye for these kind of things."

"'Things'?" Jonas quoted back.

"Couples that would and would not work." Magnus began to pour ingredients into the cauldron, glancing at Jonas every now and then. So far it didn't seem like he'd upset the man, so he continued, "He cares about you. Anyone can see that."

Jonas blinked, seeming surprised by Magnus' words. "You think so?"

"I'm sure of it." Magnus stirred the mixture. "And you care about him too, correct?"

"It's kind of hard not to," Jonas replied, for once sounding confident in his words. "Alec is like a really grumpy, basset hound puppy. What's not to like?"

Magnus nodded. He had something he wanted to ask, but he worried it would only serve to upset Jonas. Magnus decided to just say it anyway. "I have to admit something to you, Jonas."

Jonas eyed Magnus carefully. "What's up?" he asked.

"When I was asked to take your memories," Magnus began. "I had… difficulties."

The Warlock paused, taking a moment to prepare himself for what he was about to say.

Jonas continued to watch Magnus, not making a move to interrupt or rush him.

"It was like–" Magnus hesitated a moment before continuing. "It was like there were memories from other people— nearly a dozen of them."

Jonas… froze.

He just completely locked up like Magnus had just cast some kind of binding spell on him.

Magnus immediately began to backpedal, "Jonas, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to–"

"Do you know what it means?" Jonas interrupted. "The… different memories?"

Magnus swallowed and admitted, "I have a few ideas."

Jonas nodded. "And what are they?"

"Jonas," Magnus said, taking a step towards the man. "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

"It's okay," Jonas said. His green gaze seemed far too perceptive in that moment. "I think… I think I can trust you. At least with this."

Magnus inclined his head in agreement. "If you wish to explain it to me, then I won't betray your trust. Not with this, and— I hope— not with anything else either."

The Shadowhunter's lips twitched ever-so slightly in amusement. Then, his expression sobered and he brought his arms up, crossing them tightly over his chest. "The reason you found multiple sets of memories is probably because I have a mental disorder known as Dissociative Identity Disorder."

"DID," Magnus replied.

"You've heard of it?" Jonas questioned, appearing apprehensive about this news.

Magnus could understand his concern, given the stigma surrounding the disorder. He'd done some research after he'd noticed the multiple memories, and DID had been one of the possible explanations he'd found. In answer, the Warlock merely nodded his head, allowing the other man to continue.

"Well, the primary system of it is dissociation, which is…" Jonas paused. In a softer voice, he explained, "It's like, you don't feel connected to reality anymore, like you're living a dream and you're just…" He then shrugged helplessly. "I'm bad at explaining it."

"I think you're doing pretty well so far," Magnus replied.

"If you want to try and relate it to your own experiences, think of when you zoned out staring at a screen or whatever."

Magnus nodded. "Right."

Jonas nodded too, and then neither said anything for a moment.

Magnus quirked a brow. "Are you going to continue or…?"

Jonas blinked, as though surprised. "You want to know more?"

"If you feel up to talking about it." Magnus waved a hand towards the Shadowhunter. "I'd like to think that, if there was a way for me to make your life easier— even just a little bit— you might let me."

For a moment, Jonas said nothing, and then, "...Really?" he asked.

"Yes."

Jonas let out short laugh of disbelief. "Wow. Okay then. Um…"

Magnus smiled encouragingly at the man. "How can I help?"

Jonas smiled, and Magnus was pleased that he'd asked the right question. In a serious tone, he explained, "The main things is try not to bring up Jocelyn too much. It brings up bad memories and I… yeah."

Magnus' expression shifted to one of understanding. "Of course."

Jonas took a moment to think. Then, he said, "And if I ask you to give me some space, give me some space."

"That's definitely something I can do," Magnus agreed easily.

"I also have difficulty remembering things," Jonas added. "I will sometimes need to have things repeated, not because I'm being rude but just because I literally can forget entire conversations once we're halfway through them."

"Is that because of the… dissociation?"

"Most of the time, yeah. We used to have a lot of problems with amnesia. It's gotten better since we've started sharing memories– my headmates and I." Jonas' hands lifted to gesture as he spoke. (Magnus absently thought it was adorable.) "That's mainly 'cause we've been working on communication for ages."

"Sharing memories?" Magnus repeated, prompting for more information.

"Most of the time I'm co-concious or co-fronting, which basically means I can know what's happening with the body or sometimes share control of it." Jonas waved his hand. "Other times, we can share memories through our memory bank."

"What's a memory bank?"

"It's not really anything concrete?" Jonas replied, but it sounded more like a question. "For us, we can just… share the memories. Some people use visualization, like through a computer or a library."

Magnus nodded. "Would you mind telling me about your… headmates?" He paused. "Is that the right word?"

"It's the one we use," Jonas said. "And sure. What do you want to know?"

"Who are they?" Magnus asked, then suggested, "Start with their names?"

"Well, there's Owl, who's co-con with me right now." Jonas grinned. "He says 'hi', by the way." He continued. "Then there's Gnash, Hoot and Joey. Including me, we're all the main fronters of the system. Owl and I are co-hosts, though, so we're most active— and co-host means we're both the ones that front most frequently."

"And what do you mean by 'fronters'?"

"The alters that front— control the body."

"Wait," Magnus said. "You said that you were a fronter, does that mean that you consider yourself an alter?"

Jonas shrugged. "I like to think of us— the system— as a pizza. We're all slices of the pizza. So, to answer the question, yes. I mean, I guess you could say that I'm the core, or the 'original' identity? The one that's been in the body since birth. But I like to think of myself as an equal member of the system."

"That sounds like a good way to see things," Magnus said.

"It took me a while to get to this point. I had a lot of issues with denial, still do sometimes." Jonas shrugged. "But, no matter what, my system is pretty much my family now."

"Could you tell me more about them?" Magnus asked. He wanted to hear whatever Jonas was willing to share, but the last thing he wanted to do was pressure the man into talking about it.

Jonas didn't seem to mind. "Sure. Um, Owl is co-host, he's twenty-three and has an addiction to puns— most of which are terrible." At this, Magnus chuckled, and Jonas grinned before continuing. "Then there's Hoot, who's twenty-five and is Owl's brother. Hoot's graygender, or at least close to it. He doesn't mind what pronouns you use though, so we just go with he/him.

"He's a protector of the system; his role is to protect the host or sometimes the system as a whole. The only TV shows he watches are procedural cop dramas, and it's only so he can guess the entire plot before the episode is even halfway through."

"That's an impressive talent," Magnus commented.

Jonas sighed. "It can get kind of annoying at times, but that might just be because I'm kinda-sorta jealous of how smart he is." He then said, "And then Gnash, who's also a protector, is a badass twenty-two year old woman that can often come across as an asshole, but she's really just a cinnamon-roll on the inside."

"I'll keep that in mind," Magnus said with an amused smile.

Jonas laughed, and then replied, "Just don't tell her I said that."

"My lips are sealed."

Magnus mimed zipping his lips and then throwing away the key.

Jonas grinned at that. "Thanks," he said. "And it's important to note that Gnash is married to Casey— She's a real sweetheart, and she's kind of like the mom of the system. She doesn't front, though she pretty much always knows what's going on with the body."

"How can they be married?"

"It's not official out here," Jonas said. "But in the inner world they've been married for… three years? And they've been together for longer than that."

"That's so sweet," Magnus said.

"I know right? They're so perfect for each other, it's ridiculous." Jonas then said, "Which brings me to the last of the fronters, Joey. He's actually the son of Casey and Gnash. We sort of consider him a little as he's only twelve years old. Little's just a term for a child in a system."

Magnus nodded. "And what's Joey like?"

"He's precocious, a better artist than I am and he _loves_ red pandas. He also likes baking."

"Baking?"

"Yeah. He's got a real sweet tooth."

"And you?"

"Nah," Jonas said. "Not as much as him."

Magnus nodded. "I'll be sure to remember that."

After a moment of silence, Jonas ducked his gaze. "Look… I— Uh… Thanks. It's nice to have someone here who knows about it and is willing to help."

Once Jonas finished speaking, Magnus reached out, offering his hand. After a moment, Jonas took it. Magnus smiled at him. "Thank you for explaining it all to me, and for putting up for my questions."

"No, thank you for wanting to listen, and being a great listener." Jonas grinned at Magnus, and the Warlock's heart warmed at the sight. "If you think of anything else you want to ask, just let me know. Also, I can send you some more info on DID to read— If you want."

"Please, that would be great!" Magnus replied, and then paused. "Actually, I do have… one more question."

"Yeah?"

"If I were to… say—" Magnus stepped closer to Jonas, smiling to the man with unbidden desire in his gaze. "Pursue a relationship with you and Alec… Would you be okay with that?"

For a moment, Jonas seemed stunned. Then, finally, he managed to ask, "Like a three way?" Jonas' cheeks pinked adorably in embarrassment at the word.

"Exactly," Magnus grinned, pleased. "But not just one night of passion, a relationship. Between the three of us."

"Well... I suppose I'm not completely against the idea."

Magnus grinned and elaborated. "Of course, I'll ask the same of Alec."

"Yes," Jonas said, then faltered. "I mean, only if you want. We are kinda… out of your league."

At Jonas' joke, Magnus chuckled and shook his head fondly.

He had definitely made the right decision in trying to woo this amazing, brave, _wonderful_ man.

"Owl has expressed interest in Alec," Jonas said when Magnus remained silent. "He'll probably want to hear about this threesome thing you're suggesting."

"Have I met Owl?" Magnus asked.

"No idea," Jonas replied.

Magnus cocked his head. "Describe him for me?"

"He's confident and bubbly…" Jonas offered. "Might've had a bit of a southern accent?"

Magnus mouth dropped into an 'o' shape. "When we first met," he explained at Jonas' curious look. "Your accent might have been southern?"

"Then maybe that was him," Jonas said. "I'll ask him about it, but I'd be okay if you chose either one of us for your three way idea."

"Or both," Magnus suggested. "We could make it a four way."

Even though it was a genuine suggestion, he would've said it no matter what just to see the crimson blush that spread across Jonas' cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this answers some of your questions about DID! If you have any questions/comments on the information about DID in this chapter, feel free to leave a comment.
> 
> In celebration of only having 3 days left until Shadowhunters return: I am going to upload a chapter each day until the episode airs!
> 
> What are you guys most excited about? I am so hyped for the Magnus' dancing scene. I'm also excited for more malec (obv) and that adorable jimon exchange shown in the promos.


	8. Chapter 8

Jonas watched Magnus work on the potion, his gaze locked on the hand he was stirring it with. "What is it that you are making?" Jonas asked.

Magnus stopped stirring so he could mix two vials of ingredients. "The base for the potion," Magnus replied. He brought them up to eye level, and then poured the right one into the left. The vial glowed white, and he brought it down towards the cauldron. "Stir," he ordered as he poured the vial into the potion, changing it to a fluorescent blue for just a moment.

Jonas picked up the spoon once he was done and began to stir.

"We need to have it ready before blondie gets back," Magnus explained.

"Right," Jonas replied. After a few moments of silent stirring, Jonas laid the spoon aside and turned to face Magnus. Sensing that the man wanted to say something, the warlock paused his work and looked at the man.

Jonas offered a hand. "My name is Hoot. I am told that I should introduce myself to you, now that you know of our secret."

Magnus blinked. Then, a warm smile growing on his face, Magnus shook Hoot's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hoot. Jonas tells me you're a genius."

Hoot rolled his eyes as their hands parted. "Jonas flatters me."

"Does he now?"

"There are certain things I do for the system that have evolved over time to keep us safe." Hoot clasped his hands in front of him, fingers interlocking tightly. As he spoke, Magnus noticed a slight Irish lilt to the man's words. "I appreciate the compliment, though. Jonas does not often think of me in high regard."

"He said he was jealous of you."

Hoot's lips twitched in amusement, and to hide it he turned his attention back to stirring. With precise movements, he picked up the spoon and returned to work. While he did so, he replied, "As I said; Jonas flatters me."

With a grin, Magnus watched him for a beat, and then went to go and collect some more herbs.

When he returned, he added the herbs to the antidote and took over stirring again. Hoot watched, silent and patient with eager eyes, soaking up everything he saw like a sponge. Magnus worked for a few more moments before they were interrupted by Luke.

"Jocelyn!" the werewolf called. "No, don't... don't…"

Hoot shot Magnus a look that was completely bewildered. Magnus offered him a sympathetic look before he hurried over to Luke. He knelt over the man and reached out, "Let me take your pain away."

"No. No," Luke gasped out.

"Agitation only makes the venom work faster," Magnus pressed.

"I need to tell Jonas–"

"Perhaps it is best you wait until you have recovered," Hoot said from his position at the end of the couch.

"No, you need to know," Luke insisted. "No, please– You need to tell him, all of it." Luke stared at Magnus. "Promise me."

Luke grunted in pain and Magnus didn't wait any longer. He snapped his fingers, calling the magic to him and then flared his fingers out, moving his hand over Luke's body.

"The poison is spreading," Magnus explained. "Blondie needs to hurry."

"Why?" Hoot asked. "What is Jace doing?"

Magnus couldn't respond right away, busy trying to ease Luke back into sleep. Once the werewolf was calm enough, Magnus stood up and faced Hoot. "I sent him to get ingredients for the antidote."

"He should not take long," Hoot replied. He glanced at Luke for a beat, and then focused on Magnus once more. "In the interim, perhaps you could explain to me what Luke was talking about."

Magnus sighed. "For that, I will need a drink."

* * *

Hoot stood at the end of the table as Magnus drank his drink and told his story. "When I first heard about your father," he bagan. "Around the time he and Jocelyn first got together, long before the Uprising and the Circle, Valentine elevated the Morgenstern name to be synonymous with virtue. And Jocelyn was at his side.

"But by the time my people came to know him, barely two years later… his name had become synonymous with devastation. Jocelyn told me it was then she first saw the signs." Magnus swallowed, pausing to check on Hoot. He seemed okay, even eager for the warlock to finish. So he did. "They never found all the bodies. We'd all stood with the Clave for centuries."

Hoot's brows were furrowed. "And he conveniently… forgot about that."

"He was obsessed with ensuring purity of blood," Magnus explained. "Convinced that the impurities were a threat to peace."

"He was the threat to peace," Hoot countered.

"Mad men rarely make sense," Magnus said. "Mostly, they just hate. And he hated the Downworlders, for the gifts that we possess that he could not have. He hated us enough to kill us all."

Hoot huffed and began pacing. "Hearing this makes me glad that I did not know the man. Most of these 'Downworlders'" -Hoot glanced at Magnus- "have only tried to help me, despite the risk."

"He was blinded by his ambition," Magnus said.

"The Clave should have stopped this."

Magnus sighed. "He was clever. He and his followers, they managed to convince the Clave that the Downworlders they killed on their special missions had violated the Accords in some way." He pushed away from the counter, frustrated. "Complete fabrications."

"And the Clave did not notice?"

"Shadowhunters believe in the Law as absolute," Magnus said. "They could never conceive of one of their own going astray."

Hoot scoffed. "'Going astray'? That is an understatement."

"What happened back then is happening again," Magnus replied. "The Clave refuses to believe that Valentine's a threat. Nineteen years ago, their lack of vision allowed the Circle to almost decimate the entire Shadow World."

"The Uprising?" Hoot queried. "What was his plan exactly?"

"Valentine wanted to create a new Shadowhunter army. And for that, he needed the Mortal Cup." Magnus stepped closer to Hoot as he spoke. "He knew it would be on display at the signing of the Accords as a show of the Clave's power. He seized the opportunity to accomplish everything he ever wanted. Destroy the Accords, murder Downworlders, and secure the Cup."

"How could Jocelyn and Luke be a part of something like this?"

"Jocelyn and Luke tried to prevent the Uprising. They tried to change Valentine's mind about Downworlders." Magnus gestured to intone how important this was. "If it wasn't for them, the Circle would have won."

"Well at least she managed to do one good thing in her life," Hoot said.

Magnus nodded, and refrained from saying anything else on the matter of Jocelyn. He didn't want to say anything that may upset Hoot. There was still a lot Magnus had to find out, or at least understand. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the Shadowhunter's feelings.

After a moment, Hoot asked, "Alright, but how does this help us find the cup?"

"Maybe Luke thinks if you know Jocelyn better, you'll know where she hid it."

"Trust me," Hoot said. "I know more about her than everyone."

"And I don't doubt that," Magnus agreed.

The werewolf woke then, grunting in pain. Magnus glanced at Luke and groaned, frustrated. "The magic's wearing off."

He got up to check on Luke. Hoot followed at a distance.

"It was our fault," Luke cried out. "It was our fault!"

The werewolf writhed in pain, his body went taut and one of the bandages fell off.

"His wound has gotten worse," Hoot observed oh-so-helpfully.

Magnus shot him a look and then focused on Luke. He spread his hands out and began siphoning magic, trying to calm the werewolf down. The room began to shake from Magnus' efforts, and he fell to his knees as he pushed himself to his limits.

"I'm running out of magic," Magnus told Hoot.

"How can I help?" Hoot asked immediately, without hesitation.

Magnus took a moment to admire the show of compassion. Then, he said, "I can't leave him, but the potion stock still needs Komodo scale. Find it, add the rest when they get here." As he spoke, Hoot began moving. The man struggled though, as the room trembled even more violently. "You'll have to feed it to Luke," Magnus added.

Magnus then watched as Hoot disappeared into the storage room. The warlock held on for as long as he could, but as his magic ran out, so did his energy. He felt himself collapsing backwards, and he realised that he had failed.

Then, suddenly, hands were on him, holding him upright. Magnus panted, turning to meet Alec's gaze. "Help me," the warlock said and held out his hand. "I need your strength."

Alec's gaze flickered between Magnus' face and his proffered hand. Finally, he said, "Take what you need."

Their hands clasped, and the two shared a look, Magnus smiled thankfully.

Then, together the two of them sat up and leaned over Luke, Magnus' magic renewed.

Distantly, he heard blondie return, and then a few agonising moments later Hoot appeared. The man grabbed Luke's chin and poured the antidote down the werewolf's open mouth.

It worked immediately, and Magnus reigned in his magic, collapsing against Alec in exhaustion.

"Hey... Jonas," Luke greeted softly.

Magnus blinked blearily and looked up at Alec, meeting the Shadowhunter's gaze as he hovered over him. "You okay?" Alec asked.

Magnus nodded. "Yeah," he murmured, voice faint.

Magnus watched as Hoot rushed over and crouched down next to Luke, grabbing the werewolf's hand and soothing his forehead with careful brushes of his fingers. "You're okay now," Hoot soothed. Or maybe not Hoot, Magnus frowned, because so far Hoot had gone out of his way to avoid being near Luke.

Magnus couldn't know for sure, of course. He'd just have to wait.

"Let's get him cleaned up and move him to the bedroom," Magnus suggested. Alec helped the warlock to his feet as Magnus continued, "I'll grab some fresh bandages."

"I'll help," Alec offered.

Magnus shot the Shadowhunter an appreciative look, and then the two walked off to get what they needed. As they went, Magnus shot a glance back at Hoot and saw that he was still comforting Luke.

With a tired sigh, Magnus got moving. He had a werewolf to tend to.

* * *

Alec emerged from the bedroom to find Jonas in the lounge, staring off into the middle distance.

He glanced at the man, and then at a bunch of books that'd been knocked on the ground. Alec went down and knelt down to pick them up. He figured Jonas would say something eventually, but when he didn't Alec frowned and stood up.

"Jonas?" Alec questioned as he neared the other Shadowhunter. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Jonas said, sounding distant. He turned, but his gaze wasn't fully focused. "Yeah, 'm fine. Hey" -Jonas blinked a few times- "thanks for coming back. I'm glad you and Jace are okay now."

"I didn't do this for Jace."

Jonas frowned. "Did Jace mention the favor thing?"

Alec quirked a brow. "'Favor thing'?"

"Nevermind. Okay..." Jonas' lips stretched into a smile. "Then I'm glad you did it for you."

Alec's gaze was drawn over Jonas' shoulder as Jace appeared in the doorway. His parabatai grinned at the sight of him and Alec found himself smiling back. Jace walked over and the two locked hands, stepping into a hug.

"Thank you," Jace whispered.

Alec patted the man on the back and then pulled away, glancing at Jonas. It looked like the auburn haired Shadowhunter wanted to talk to Jace, so he went to go help Magnus and give them some space.

He found Magnus re-wrapping bandages around Luke's torso, and the warlock looked up when Alec entered.

"Need anything?" Alec asked, coming to stand across from the warlock.

"Could you pass me that bundle of clean gauzes?"

Alec nodded and grabbed the aforementioned items from the end of the bed. He held them out to the warlock, and Magnus took them with an appreciative smile. The warlock returned to his work on Luke again, swiftly pressing gauze to wounds and securing them with layers of bandage.

"Thank you," Magnus said without preamble. Alec regarded him with confusion, and Magnus elaborated. "For lending me your strength earlier."

"Oh… I–-" Alec began, stumbling over his response. To his relief, Luke chose that moment to wake up, and his eyes scanned the room before locking on Alec.

"Where's Jonas?" the werewolf asked. "Can I speak to him?"

Alec shifted on the spot, eyes flickering to Magnus. He took in the warlock's hesitant expression. So he had also noticed Jonas' discomfort with Luke. Alec was confident in Jonas' ability to take care of himself, however, so he told Luke, "I'll go get him."

As he left, he cast a glance back at Magnus. The warlock met his gaze, and the two shared a meaningful look before Alec headed off.

Worst came to worst, Alec felt that they'd both be there to support Jonas.

Alec walked out and found Jace and Jonas laughing about something. For a moment, Alec felt a twinge of jealousy in his chest that surprised him. He squashed it down and said, "Luke's asking for you."

Jonas looked up, smile softening at the sight of Alec. Something warm bubbled in Alec's chest as he noticed the shift in the man's expression.

"Alright." Jonas turned to Jace. "See ya'."

Jace inclined his head in farewell, and Jonas shot another smile at Alec as he passed on the way to the bedroom. Alec turned back to his parabatai and found the man gathering up bundles of bloody bandages.

"I'm going to dispose of this," Jace said. "I'll be back later."

"Okay," Alec said. He watched Jace leave and then figured he should probably help clean up as well. He walked back over to the books he'd been going to pick up earlier and did so, piling them neatly by the bookshelf to be sorted later.

He then went and grabbed a bowl, filling it with water. Alec also took a cloth and headed back out into the lounge. Magnus was there when he returned, standing by the window and mixing a drink. Alec nodded his head in greeting when the warlock glanced at him.

Kneeling down in front of the sofa Luke had been laying on, Alec began to scrub at the patches of blood that remained. He scrubbed at a particular stubborn spot and brought the rag up to glare at it, as though it was purposely not wiping up the blood.

Which, y'know, rude.

Alec then tried cleaning the spot again when Magnus' voice filled the air. "You know I have magic for that, right?"

"I think you've exerted yourself enough for one day," Alec replied and resumed scrubbing.

Magnus took a step closer and asked, "Drink break?"

Alec glanced up and, at the sight of two drinks in the warlock's hands, he chuckled lightly and got to his feet. He discarded the cloth on the table and made his way around the couch.

Magnus handed Alec a clear drink in a tall martini glass. Once Alec had taken it from him, Magnus snapped his thumb and forefinger. A bright blue flame to flickered to life across the surface of Alec's drink.

"To us," Magnus toasted.

Alec nodded, and then clinked glasses. Alec waited for the flame to dissipate before taking a sip. As soon as the liquid reached his tongue, he winced at its strength, scrunching up his nose and squinting his eyes.

Magnus appeared amused. Alec, wanting to save himself from embarrassment, distracted the warlock by asking, "Why did you ask for me when Jace and Jonas were both here?"

"Hmm, Jace didn't tell you?" Magnus sucked in a sharp breath and turned to move over to the window and gaze outside. "It doesn't matter. It was a lie anyway."

Alec stared at him, not understanding a single word he'd just said. "Are warlocks always this cryptic?" he asked.

Magnus chuckled. "I'm not being cryptic," he inclined his head, "I'm being coy." With a sigh, Magnus turned around to face Alec and stepped closer. "Let me spell it out for you. I wanted to see you again."

They eyed each other for a moment, and when Magnus didn't elaborate, Alec asked, "Why?"

"Why'd you come?" Magnus countered.

Alec opened his mouth to answer, but then realised that he didn't know what to say. "I'm not sure," he finally answered.

Magnus considered him for a moment, and then began, "For almost a century… I've closed myself off to feeling anything for anyone. Man or woman." The warlock's gaze turned curious. "You've unlocked something in me."

At his words, Alec's gaze dropped involuntarily and scanned back up along Magnus' gorgeous body. He certainly wasn't… _against_ the idea of Magnus having an interest in him. As Alec tried to think of a response to the warlock's words, Magnus continued, "Both of you."

"Both?" Alec asked.

"You," Magnus said, "and Jonas."

"What do you mean?"

Magnus cocked his head. "Well, if I had my way…" He trailed off, and then sucked in a sharp breath pointedly. "Let's just say the three of us would be getting up to a lot of fun."

"The three of us," Alec repeated, brain not quite comprehending what was being suggested.

"I've already mentioned it to Jonas," Magnus continued. "He seemed rather interested in the idea of a threeway, specifically a relationship with all of us."

"A three way," Alec echoed once more, voice on the squeaky side.

Magnus smirked. "Okay, but buy me dinner first."

Stunned, Alec started to reply but his phone began to ring, cutting him off.

The two stepped apart as Alec answered his phone, turning his back on Magnus. Though, he couldn't stop himself from glancing once over his shoulder at the man. "Hey– Uh, Mother."

He frowned as she scolded him for leaving unsanctioned _again_ and then ducked his head in disappointment when she told him he had to get back to the Institute.

"Of course," Alec replied to her. He hung up and turned back to Magnus, placing his glass down as he did so. "Duty calls," he told the man.

"Ah…" Magnus drifted closer, gazing at him intently. "Oh, the furrowed brow. Maryse must be recruiting you for something... unseemly."

Alec stared at Magnus for a while, and then said, "Oh, listen, Magnus, I…" —he stammered— "I wish I could... I just… I don't know what…" As he continued struggling to say something, Magnus raised his index finger and held it in front of Alec's lips, silencing him.

"I understand," Magnus said.

As he pulled his finger away, Alec's eyes tracked the movement and he smiled, scoffing lightly. His reaction surprised him, because Alec normally had a hard time letting his guard down around people.

He wasn't sure whether to happy… or worried about this development.

Magnus picked up Alec's discarded drink and offered it to the Shadowhunter once more. "Stay for just one more drink?" asked Magnus. "And then decide."

Alec stared at Magnus.

After thinking it through, he took the drink without regret. He was already in trouble anyway, why not stay for just a little longer?

* * *

"...And then she showed up at my place in the morning, five pound Hershey's bar in hand, and said" —Magnus adopted a high-pitched voice— "'I brought you what you asked for, now make me my damn potion.'"

Alec's eyes went wide in disbelief, and he let out a laugh at the ridiculousness of Magnus' story. "She _actually_ went and found an oversized chocolate bar for you?"

Magnus smirked and inclined his head. "People are willing to do a lot for potions that I say may or may not be real."

"Was the potion real?" Alec asked. "Did you make it for her?"

"Yes, and no." Magnus shrugged at Alec's offended look. "Despite how wonderful chocolate is, I didn't want to make her the potion."

"So then why did you tell her to get it?" Jonas asked as he stepped into the room.

Alec tensed as he noticed the man's haggard appearance, red-rimmed eyes and pasty complexion. Magnus must have noticed as well, because he cocked his head and stated, "You look like you could use a drink."

"Thanks," Jonas said. He approached them where they stood by the window, coming to a stop on Alec's left. "But I'll pass."

"How's Luke?" Magnus inquired.

"He's resting, needed a break after the conversation we just had."

Concerned, Alec felt his brow furrow and he put down his drink so he could focus on Jonas. "What did you talk about? Are you alright?"

"I'll tell you later," Jonas said. "I just need a minute."

Alec pressed his lips together, holding himself back from asking anymore questions.

Magnus spoke up and, thankfully, changed the subject. "It was a prank."

"Why would you want to prank a possible customer?"

"Because I knew I wouldn't give it to her anyway." Magnus shrugged. "I figured I'd have some fun with it before I sent her away. I didn't actually think she'd _do_ it."

Jonas chuckled. "No, of course not. What even happened to the chocolate?"

"She…" Magnus' lips twitched in amusement. "She threw it at my face."

"Nice," Alec commented.

Jonas laughed, eyes bright as they flickered between Alec and Magnus.

Alec watched as Magnus' gaze caught Jonas', and the two shared a look. Reminded of what Magnus proposed earlier, Alec cleared his throat. "I should probably get going…"

Both of them turned, looking equally disappointed. "Really?" Jonas asked. "Now?"

Alec nodded. "Yeah." He glanced between Magnus and Jonas in turn. "Keep me posted."

"Of course," Magnus said.

Jonas stepped over to Alec. "I'll see you to the door."

"Wait," Magnus said, stopping them both. He eyed Alec carefully. "Before you go, any further thoughts on my… offer?"

"You told him?" Jonas asked, sounding nervous.

"Yes." Magnus' gaze did not leave Alec's.

Jonas then also turned to face Alec.

Feeling exposed under their combined stares, Alec shifted uncomfortably. "It was, um. We…" —he stammered— "I just— I don't really know…" Alec trailed off, feeling helpless.

Magnus and Jonas exchanged one more look before the latter said, "That's okay." He reached out and took Alec's hand. "You don't have to say anything."

"Although," Magnus said. "I hope you know that I'm going to take your hesitation as a possible yes."

Alec ducked his head, not debating the man's assumption.

Magnus smiled at his reaction, a glint in his eye.

Alec, feeling like he'd been outdone, jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I'm just gonna… go… now."

"Mhmm," Magnus hummed in reply, gaze all-too knowing.

"C'mon," Jonas said when Alec didn't make to move. Alec finally tore his gaze from Magnus, the Warlock waving goodbye as he did so. Jonas tugged on Alec's hand and lead him to the door. He walked alongside the auburn haired Shadowhunter, feeling eyes on them as they went.

When they reached the door, Jonas pulled it open and then met Alec's gaze. "I know where the Cup is."

"You– What–" Alec's brain screeched to a halt. "You _know_ where the Cup is?"

"I'm only telling you so that you're in the loop," Jonas replied. "Don't tell _anyone_ , and I'll let you know when we're going to get it. We'll probably need your help."

Alec opened his mouth to try again. "Wait, you can't just–"

Jonas, the asshole, just smiled sweetly at Alec and ushered him out the door. "Okay, this was fun, thanks, bye!" He said the words in a rush as Alec was basically _shoved_ out of the door.

Jonas then closed the door in his face.

Alec sighed and wondered how this had become his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHADOWHUNTERS RETURNS TOMORROW!!!! WHO ELSE IS EXCITED???


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited about this chap! It has a fav scene of mine in it from the show, though it's tweaked to fit Jonas. Enjoy! And see if you can guess what it is :P

Magnus was reclining on the sofa, flipping through a book absently as he kept one eye on the Shadowhunter in front of him.

"I'm glad Alec showed up," Magnus commented. "And he even delayed a summons from his mother to stay longer."

"You're far too charming for your own good," Jonas said. Then, he approached and spoke without preamble. "Owl, co-host of the system and the man of your dreams" —Owl twirled his wrist in a 'how do you do' manner— "at your service."

Magnus couldn't keep a grin off of his face as he got to his feet. He mimicked Owl's movements, twirling his wrist with a bonus flourish. "Magnus Bane," he returned. "How are you?"

"Quite well, good sir," Owl said, and then chuckled. "Apologies for not introducing myself earlier, but I'm more than excited to make up for lost time."

Magnus nodded, very much agreeing with the man's words.

"Before we get to the fun stuff, though." Owl raised a single, arched finger. "I have to tell you that I know where the Cup is. "

Jace, with wonderfully dramatic timing, chose that moment to appear. "Come again? "

" There were these tarot cards," Owl said. "The one in particular that I'm interested in is the Ace of Cups. I think that the Mortal Cup is hidden inside of it. The card looks exactly like it. "

Magnus put his book down and swung his legs over the end of the sofa, interest piqued. "And where are these tarot cards?"

"I… um." Owl paused in thought. "I think Jocelyn's assistant had them, Dot."

The auburn haired Shadowhunter frowned as he noticed Magnus' and Jace's disappointment "Why do you guys look like I just told you Santa wasn't real?"

" If Dot had the cards when she was taken, " Jace began. "We don't have much time. "

Owl's expression shifted to one of the 'oh shit' variety.

Jace continued, " If Valentine gets his hands on the Cup— "

"We know," Magnus interrupted Blondie. He stood and walked towards Owl, holding out his index finger to Jace in a shushing manner. " If Valentine started creating Shadowhunters or gained control of demons, " Magnus said as he circled Owl. "I t'd be like Beyoncé riding on a dinosaur through Times Square. People would notice. "

"Beyoncé," Owl repeated. He beamed at Magnus, pearly whites shining in full. "I like your taste."

Magnus inclined his head. "You should know by now I have _impeccable_ taste."

Owl's grin widened even further– which Magnus hadn't thought was possible. "I like your confidence too," he added. Then he paused as though a thought had just occurred to him. _Or_ , Magnus thought. _Maybe it was more than just a thought_. He'd have to ask Owl what level of communication the system had.

"Why does Valentine need the Cup to control demons?" Owl asked. "I've seen him do it without."

" Mmm, paying off a few demons is easy, " Magnus explained. " Especially since they rarely survive long enough to collect. "

Jace smirked. " Still waiting on Valentine's thank-you card. "

"Yeah, you did kind of do all of his dirty work for him," Owl agreed.

" Opening the gates of hell... " Magnus said, getting the conversation back on track. "T hat's a little more tricky. "

" Valentine doesn't have the cards. " The three of them turned to see Luke enter the room, looking better than he had when Magnus left him. " I do," he said. " They're in my desk back at the precinct. When Jonas went missing, I went to the loft and I cleared everything out, 'cause I didn't want the Circle to track him. "

"Well than that makes things a lot more simple," Owl said.

" Mmm," Magnus hummed non-commitedly and sat down in the sofa. "That's what General Custer said. "

Owl shot him a reluctantly impressed look for his comment, as though he appreciated the reference.

" Magnus is right," Luke agreed. " Valentine has spies everywhere, even in the NYPD. We have to be discreet. "

"That's going to be hard when you look like you've just gone six rounds with a rabid wolf," Owl replied. Magnus giggled in amusement, and quickly averted his gaze when he felt eyes on him.

"Whilst that's mostly accurate now," Luke said. "We'll go in the morning. Werewolf healing, remember? " At his question, Jace and Owl exchanged looks, both shrugging in acceptance. Luke continued, " This is nothing a couple of hours of beauty sleep can't fix. "

Owl nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll text Alec and let him know where to meet us."

As Owl walked off, Magnus turned to Luke. "You may sleep in the room we had you in," he said and turned to Jace. "You can follow me."

He led Jace down the hall and into one of the guest rooms. "Here we are," he said, opening the door. "Do you need anything? A cuddle buddy, a nightlight?"

Jace shot Magnus an unamused look. "I think I'll be fine."

"Feel free to let me know if you change your mind," Magnus said as Blondie passed him into the room. "I'm sure I can track down old Mr. Snuggles."

Jace offered Magnus a trill of mock-laughter before he grabbed the door and shut it in Magnus' face. With a shrug, the warlock headed back into the lounge.

"Alec's agreed to the plan," Owl said when he spotted Magnus.

"Wonderful," Magnus smiled. "Now, let me show you to your room– or rather _my_ room."

"Your room?"

Magnus faltered. "Oh, don't worry. I'll sleep elsewhere."

"Well," Owl huffed. "We can't have that. It's _your_ bed."

Magnus raised a single, arched brow in the man's direction. "Are you suggesting we…"

" _Sleep_ together?" Owl shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Magnus remained sceptical, and they paused outside his doorway.

"I can keep my hands to myself," Owl assured him.

The warlock hadn't exactly been worried about what the _other_ man would do. It was more like he worried that this was too much, too fast. Alas, if Owl was going to be so insistent then who was Magnus to argue?

Magnus smiled and opened the door. "After you, then."

Owl bowed his head in appreciation and stepped inside. He grinned as he took in the room. "Wow. Now I feel doubly honored that you're letting me stay in here." Owl turned and licked his lips in thought. Magnus' eyes tracked the movement, not that Owl appeared to notice.

"Can I borrow some pants?" Owl finally asked.

Magnus shot the man a coy look. "Surely you can just wear whatever you have on underneath."

"Yes," Owl replied, eyes lit with amusement. "But that would be inappropriate."

Without waiting for a response, Owl walked over and turned his back on Magnus. Magnus shut the door behind him as he stepped inside to follow. He then watched, enthralled as Owl stripped off his shirt, revealing lines of tone muscle and a gorgeous expanse of porcelain skin.

"Pants," Magnus said to himself as he realised that he wouldn't survive seeing the man in only his underwear.

He searched his drawers for one of his baggier pair of sweatpants. He grabbed a pair for himself as well, and also a loose shirt whilst he was at it. Magnus was sure he wouldn't be able to suffer through the night if _both_ of them were shirtless.

Owl was waiting patiently, in only his jeans, when Magnus handed him the sweats. "I'll get changed in there," he said, pointing towards the ensuite.

"What?" Owl blinked round, hopeful eyes at the warlock. "I don't get to see the show?"

Magnus eyed him with amusement. "You think you could handle that?"

"Yes," Owl said immediately. Then he paused. "Okay, maybe not tonight."

Magnus chuckled and left to get changed. He undressed and folded his clothes, stacking them neatly in the corner. Then he pulled on the shirt and sweatpants and stepped back out into the room. Owl was already in bed, on his back, staring up at the canopy.

Excitement coursed through Magnus' veins as he slipped under the sheets next to Owl.

"Comfy?" the warlock asked.

"Very much so," Owl replied. He grinned and rolled onto his side, facing Magnus. "I hope I'm here in the morning. I want to see what you look like in bed, with the sun's rays shining down on you."

Magnus' lips twitched into a soft smile. "Even if you're not, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities in the future for that."

Owl's expression turned hopeful. "You think so?"

"I'm sure of it," Magnus said. Then he finished, "Goodnight, Owl."

Owl reached up and placed a hand on the edge of his pillow. He looked like he wanted to touch Magnus, but he managed to restrain himself. "'Night, Magnus."

Goosebumps raced down Magnus' spine at the sound of his name on the other man's lips. He stared at the Shadowhunter for a moment longer, before finally being able to tear his eyes away.

With a flick of the warlock's hand, the lights went off. Eventually, Magnus heard Owl's breathing even out in sleep. Not long after, Magnus found his own slumber as well.

* * *

Magnus woke slowly the next morning, keeping his eyes shut as he enjoyed the feeling of being well rested. It took a while for him to remember the events of last night, and when he did he opened his eyes.

The sleeping face of an auburn haired Shadowhunter greeted him. The sounds of clanging around in the kitchen reached his ears, and Magnus realised that he should probably wake the other man up so they could start the day.

"Hey," Magnus said, softly. "Wake up, my brilliant Tiramisu."

The Shadowhunter groaned pitifully (which Magnus found adorable) and rolled onto his other side, muttering, "Five more minutes."

"Not today I'm afraid," Magnus intoned, raising the volume of his voice. "You have much to do, dear one. Up you get."

His bedmate grumbled in annoyance once more before blinking open peridot eyes. They took in their surroundings, the canopy, the bedroom, his undressed state, before settling on Magnus. "Oh my God–" The Shadowhunter began, sounding panicked. "Did we–"

"No, no," Magnus soothed, skirting back to give the Shadowhunter space. "There wasn't a spare bed, and Owl suggested that we sleep together in the not-fun sense. Though, it was a pleasurable rest."

"Christ," the Shadowhunter cursed, pressing a hand to his bare chest as he calmed down.

"We managed to get a few hours sleep," Magnus explained. "But I think someone is up and making breakfast."

"Ah, good." The Shadowhunter sat up, and looked like he was about to jump out of bed when he paused and turned to Magnus. "Jonas," Jonas said. "I'm Jonas, by the way. If you were confused."

"How much do you remember?" Magnus asked.

"You were working on the potion…" Jonas trailed off, and then his eyes widened as he remembered. "Is Luke okay?"

"Luke is fine."

Jonas nodded, and then winced.

Magnus grew concerned. "What is it?"

"Headache," Jonas explained. "I get them all the time."

"I can help with that," Magnus said. He then paused, and asked, "If I may?"

Jonas' expression shifted into one of eagerness, and Magnus took that as his cue. He lifted one hand, snapped his fingers, and hovered his open palm over the other man's forehead. His magic glowed a brilliant blue, and after a moment he was done.

"Woah," Jonas murmured, looking at Magnus with amazement. "And to think I spent all this money on Tylenol when I could've just come to you."

"My time isn't free," Magnus quipped.

Jonas grinned, and it was a cute, timid look that was so different from Owl's unabashed expressions. "Then how do you explain last night?"

Magnus smirked. "I'll mail you the bill."

Jonas rolled his eyes and then finally climbed out of bed. He walked over to his bundle of discarded clothes and frowned at them. "My shirt's got blood on it," Jonas said, picking aforementioned item up to examine it.

"You can borrow one of mine," Magnus offered easily.

He went over to his dresser and searched again, hoping he could find something that would fit the taller man. He brought out a few different shirts and handed them over.

Jonas smiled as he took them, clutching them in front of his chest and then he scurried into the ensuite to get dressed. Magnus chuckled to himself and then started to get changed as well.

"Casey tried to fill me in about the Cup," Jonas called out from the ensuite. "But she didn't really understand it herself."

Magnus began to explain, "Owl figured out that Jocelyn had hidden the Cup in the Ace of Cups tarot card that Dot had. Luke now has the tarot cards in his desk at his office."

Jonas made an excited noise. "So we're going to sneak into the NYPD precinct? Cool. My time has finally come."

Magnus chuckled and reached out to grab his jacket. The door to the ensuite opened as he was pulling on the coat. Jonas walked out, dressed in his jeans and Magnus' shirt. He looked good, with his mussed hair and slightly-tight navy v-neck.

The warlock blinked his gaze free from admiring the other man's form, and looked up to find Jonas staring at him with a gaping mouth.

"Let me guess," Magnus said with a smirk and stepped towards him. "I look… amazing, incredible, sexy, beautiful…" He trailed off, as they didn't have the time for him to finish the practically never-ending list.

Jonas ducked his head, but glanced up at Magnus through his lashes. "Can I choose option E?" he asked. "All of the above."

"Aw," Magnus smiled at the Shadowhunter. "You're sweet." He turned and opened the door. "Now, go get breakfast my adorable, delicious, Tiramisu."

"'Tiramisu'?" Jonas repeated in confusion, and then shook his head. "Nevermind, I don't wanna know."

Magnus chuckled, deciding that he'd have to use the nickname more often.

* * *

Alec met Jonas, Jace and the werewolf outside of the precinct. He'd gotten there early, and had been waiting for them to arrive.

He spotted the three approaching in the distance. Alec felt something warm bubble to life in his chest when Jonas waved and offered a sheepish smile. He tucked his hands into his pockets, not waving, but he did incline his head in greeting.

" All right, cards are on my desk," Luke explained as the four huddled together. " It shouldn't take long. "

"All right," Jace said. He then proceeded to walk towards the precinct.

Luke held up his hands, stopping Jace. " Whoa, whoa, whoa. " He glanced between them. " It'll be easier to avoid unnecessary attention if I do this alone. "

"We'll wait here," Alec confirmed.

Jace crossed his arms, and waited until Luke was far enough away to comment, " It sounded boring anyway. "

Jonas snorted in amusement, shrugging when Alec leveled him with a 'why are you like this' look.

After a couple of minutes, Alec realised they were kind of in the middle of the walkway. He directed the other two Shadowhunters off to the side of the path.

"So…" Jonas began, sounding unsure. "Alec, how did things go at the Institute?"

Alec stared. "Fine."

"Good," Jonas said and bobbed his head jerkily. "That's… Good."

Jace glanced between Alec and Jonas, then said, "Do you two need a moment to… sort something out?"

"Nope," Jonas said quickly.

Alec spoke at the same time, "No."

"Right," Jace replied, but he didn't sound all that reassured.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Jonas sighed. "Something doesn't feel right." He frowned. "Why is Luke taking so long?"

Jace crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby police cruiser. " I know a way we could find out. Just go in and see for ourselves. "

"And risk messing everything up?" Jonas shook his head. "No thanks. I'd rather avoid the wrath of an angry werewolf."

Jace glanced up as something caught his eye. " Just so I'm clear, he did mention something about trying to avoid attention, right? " Jace asked. " From the looks of it, he's doing a terrible job. "

"They're not Circle members," Alec observed.

"Mundanes," Jace confirmed. " Internal affairs officers. "

Jonas stared at them both with a wide, awed gaze. " How did you get all that by looking at them? "

"By reading their badges," Alec explained.

Jace held out his arm and lifted his sleeve, revealing a Vision rune. " Better than binoculars," he commented. Then, he turned his attention to the building in front of them. " Luke had his chance. Let's go. "

* * *

The three of them tracked down the interrogation room that Luke was being held in. They were just in time to sneak in as the door was opened. Jace went first, then Alec and Jonas streamed in after. Luke's gaze tracked them as they filed in. He startled when the agent called out to him, " Garroway. Coffee? "

Luke shook his head. " No. No, I'm good. "

" Suit yourself," the agent responded and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Alec watched, from his position at the back of the room, as Luke grabbed a tissue and mimed sneezing. " Camera," he mumbled.

Jace took care of it as Jonas walked forward to question the werewolf. " Care to explain what you're doing in here?"

" I think I'm about to be the prime suspect in a murder investigation. "

Alec huffed and leveled the werewolf with a look. "So what's plan B?"

"Get the cards," Luke said. " In my desk, bottom drawer. "

"Great," Jonas replied and headed off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can't glamour yourselves," Luke said. " I'm not the only Downworlder on the force, and we don't know who's working for Valentine. If anybody spots you— "

" We'd be leading them right to the Mortal Cup," Jace inferred.

Luke nodded. " Exactly. Better to assume that everybody has the Sight than gamble that they don't. "

The door began to open, and Jonas shot Luke a look before dashing out of the room. Alec and Jace followed close behind.

"If we can't use glamour," Jonas began as they hurried down the hall. "Then we need to be subtle."

"Three's a crowd," Alec agreed. He turned to Jace. "Okay, you and I can–"

"Uh, excuse me," Jonas interrupted. He crossed his arms, appearing stubborn. "I have a plan, and there's no way I'm trusting you two bozos with it."

Alec glanced at Jace. Both of them waged a non verbal argument until Alec's lips twitched, pleased with the outcome. He turned back to Jonas. "I'll go with you, Jace can wait outside for us."

Jonas nodded. Jace grumbled something under his breath before saying, "I'll… keep an eye on the perimeter. Good luck." He slapped a hand on Alec's bicep, and then bumped his fist into Jonas' shoulder before splitting off from them.

Trusting Jonas to lead the way, Alec followed him down a few more corridors until they ducked into a filing room. Jonas closed the door behind them, and then they stood, face-to-face in a _very_ small space.

"Really? In here? " Alec asked, feeling off-balance being so close to the man.

"Nah, I just brought you in here to enjoy the atmosphere."

Alec shot the man an unimpressed look. "There's got to be a better place. "

"This is fine," Jonas argued. They bumped into each other as they both went to grab their stele.

"Ow," Alec yelped. Jonas smiled at him sheepishly. They tried again, and Alec brought out his stele, bumping his elbow into the stack of boxes behind him, causing them to wobble. "All right," he said, as he got to work.

Alec swiftly deglamoured himself and then watched as Jonas tried to do the same. His first attempt failed miserably, with a weak pulse of energy. Alec smirked. "You need help with that? "

"I'm sure I can manage to deglamourize myself, Alec."

Jonas tried again, jerking slightly when his attempt failed, causing the boxes behind him to rustle.

"It's 'deglamour,'" Alec corrected, still smug.

"I'll deglamour your face," Jonas quipped back.

Alec bit back a chuckle and, finally, Jonas managed to deglamour himself.

"The cards? " Jonas prompted.

Alec directed a ' _no duh_ ' look at the man. "Right. " He glanced around the small space they were in. " How exactly are we gonna get them? I doubt we can make it out of this closet without drawing attention, let alone Luke's desk and you" —Alec's gaze scanned across Jonas' body, only taking slightly longer than necessary— "are covered in runes. "

"I told you," Jonas said. "I have a plan."

"A good plan this time? "

Jonas paused to consider. "Ninety percent," he finally answered. "Give or take five percent."

Alec wasn't even remotely comforted by that. "Then I'm sure this is going to go perfectly," he told the man in deadpan.

Jonas glared at him and then rolled his eyes, turning on his heel and leaving the closet.

They strode down the hall, and Alec followed after Jonas as he stepped into a room.

Jonas froze in front of him, taking in the room full of officers. Then, before Alec could react, the auburn haired Shadowhunter whirled to face him.

"You son of a bitch! " Jonas shouted, and slapped Alec across the face.

Alec, who most definitely had not been prepared for that, took a moment to recover from the hit . Once he had, he turned to gape at Jonas.

" Stop stalking me! " Jonas snapped.

Completely and utterly confused, Alec grabbed the man's arm and leaned in to whisper, "Hey, what happened to being discreet? "

Jonas spun free from his grasp, and Alec noticed that a few of the officers had approached to see what the disturbance was. "Hmm? " the closest one hummed in inquisition.

The auburn haired Shadowhunter whirled back around and gaped at Alec. "What was that? You broke into my room and stole my underwear?"

"I…" Alec began, but trailed off. "Huh? " he asked dumbly. Alec glanced at the officers as they crowded in on him. "I– I did not." Alec stepped forward to follow Jonas as the man headed deeper into the room. The two guards that had surrounded him pushed him back, and Alec gasped, "Whoa. "

As Jonas reached what Alec assumed was Luke's desk, he glanced back at him. "I'm never letting you _anywhere_ near me again," Jonas said. "You'll just have to find someone else to spy on in the shower. Or just watch porn like a regular guy!"

Finally, Alec caught on to what Jonas was doing.

"But Jonas," Alec called, letting lis bottom lip puff out in a pout. He continued in a shaky, heartbroken voice. "I can't let you go!" he bemoaned. "Your eyes are like staring into a sea of infinite mocha. Your passion can become so tangible that it inspires me. Your bravery and empathy for others makes me strive to be a better person. Your body is one that I would worship upon all day, every day, for the rest of eternity. You are the sun to my moon, the stars to my sky, the wind to my sails and the," Alec fumbled for another analogy, "...blood to my vampire."

Jonas scoffed at Alec's last words before returning to searching through Luke's desk. Alec smiled confidently as a female officer appeared at the auburn haired Shadowhunters side. He waved at her cheerfully. "Hi," he called out, but the officer didn't deign him with a response.

Alec ignored the officers' hands on him as he watched Jonas give up on searching through the desk. The Shadowhunter turned and began to talk with the blonde-haired detective. After a couple of moments of conversation, Alec noticed that Jonas seemed a little helpless.

Alec decided to offer him a lending hand.

"Jonas," Alec called out, drawing their attention. " I'm sorry. I apologize. I just want you to know I only took, like... two or three or... a couple of your boxers– and they weren't even the ones you wear all that often!" As Alec spoke, he gestured about randomly to emphasise his words. He thought he was doing a pretty damn good job, to be honest. "And I am totally— "

Both Jonas and the detective cut him off with a simultaneous, "Shut up. "

Alec gaped at Jonas, as though offended. " Babe, come on. "

" Listen," the detective cut in. "You don't get to call him 'babe,' okay? In fact, you don't get to call him at all. Stay away from him or you'll find yourself with a restraining order. You got it? "

Alec nodded at her words, though kept his mouth open, ready to argue.

The detective waved her hand, "Take him out. "

The officers took their cue to drag him away. Alec struggled against their strong hold, complaining, "I have rights. "

They dragged him all the way to the lobby and then dumped him there. Alec straightened his jacket and scratched at the back of his neck. It certainly hadn't been the most difficult thing he'd done in his life, but it was one of the most... interesting.

It wasn't long before he spotted Jonas walking out from the hall. Alec turned his back on the Shadowhunter. He made for the exit, leaving Jonas to catch up with him.

" You know what? " Alec asked as Jonas reached his side. He shoved open the door to exit and continued, " I'm gonna bring Jace with me next time. I don't think he's ever slapped me in the face. "

"I mean… it was kind of fun," Jonas admitted. Alec shot him a glare. "Okay, my bad, I apologise."

They reached Jace and Izzy, both of whom appeared concerned.

"What took you guys so long? " Jace asked.

"It's complicated," Jonas answered. "We found the Cup. "

Izzy stared at them. " _The_ Cup? "

"The one and only," Jonas confirmed. "But… It kind of changed locations."

"You lost it," Jace said in deadpan.

"Not lost, we know where it is." Jonas nodded his head at the precinct. "The Cup is in there. We have to sneak back inside."

"It's a disaster," Alec concluded.

Jace took a step forward, intent. " Hey, demon pox is a disaster. This is an inconvenience. We just need a plan. That's all. "

"What about a glamour? " Izzy asked.

"We tried that," Alec said. " Anyone working with Valentine will see right through it. "

Jonas raised a brow. "If only we had a magical warlock that could teleport us inside… Rhymes with cactus mane?" Jonas gestured with his hand. "Let's ask him for help."

"No," Alec said immediately.

Izzy averted her gaze. "That'd be awkward. " Alec felt himself bristle at her words. Then she sucked in a breath and turned back to the group. " Magnus can only portal us to places he's been to before," she explained.

Jonas huffed. "Well that's just _great_."

The group fell silent as they all considered their options. Jace looked up after a few minutes, looking excited. "We just need to sneak into the vault, right?" Jace said. "All we need is a distraction so that no one is around to catch us in there."

"Alec and I can handle that," Izzy offered.

"Great." Jace grinned. "Then let's get this over with."


	10. The Kiss

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER FEATURES A CHARACTER HAVING A PANIC ATTACK.** Do not read from "Alec pressed a hand to the back of the man's head, and held onto him tightly." Stay safe friends!

* * *

They needed to get a security pass to break into the power room. Alec and Izzy headed inside the precinct and climbed down some stairs. Izzy opened the door, Alec followed behind her. They stepped out into the lobby and they both spotted an opportunity to get what they needed in the form of a female cop.

"Okay, I'm guessing you're the distraction? " Alec asked, because that was how it usually went.

" Nope," Izzy said. " I've decided to grow up, remember? No more distracting for me. Besides, " Izzy looked to the policewoman, " I don't think I'm her type. "

Alec shifted in discomfort and tugged on his jacket nervously. " Oh, crap. "

"Don't worry, it's good practice. "

Alec turned to his sister. "Huh? "

Izzy smiled devilishly. " You know, for asking out Magnus" —her gaze flickered up to Alec's face— "and Jonas."

Alec shot her a glare, causing her to chuckle. He coughed to clear his throat, and then looked down as Izzy grabbed at his clothes. " What are you... what are you doing? "

"Unbuttoning your shirt. What's it look like I'm doing? " she asked.

"Izzy, this is not really my department," he complained.

Izzy sighed. "Come on. " She straightened his jacket. " You do this sort of stuff all the time. "

Alec stared at her. "You do, I don't. "

"It's easy," she said. Alec exhaled slowly as he realised that he had no choice. This was necessary for the mission, as much as he hated to admit it. He turned towards the welcome desk, hearing Izzy urge behind him, " Come on. "

Alec approached the woman, preparing to smile. He leaned over the desk once he was close enough, offering her a grin. " Hey. "

"Can I help you? " she asked, seeming unfazed by his efforts.

"Yeah, um... " Alec felt his smile drop for a moment as he wracked his brain for something to say. An idea hit him, and he smiled again. "You come here often? " he asked, only stuttering a little.

She tilted her head and offered him an unimpressed look. " I work here. What can I help you with? "

"Right, um... " Alec let his gaze drop and he searched around the desk. Clearly he wasn't going to win her over with a smile and an unbuttoned shirt. " Right, right– Right, yeah, um... " he said, stuttering a _lot_ as he stalled for time. His gaze caught on the woman's security pass, and then on the uncapped water bottle. " Yeah, I'm just... I'm looking for some information. "

"Oh, look... " He reached out to grab a pamphlet, purposely knocking over the bottle. Water spilled everywhere, and the woman hurried to clean up the mess. " Oh, wow. I'm so sorry. Let me just get that." As he grabbed some pamphlets, he flicked the security pass over to Izzy who was walking by. He didn't check to see if she caught it, instead focused on the mess he made. " That's not... I'm so sorry. That's such a mess. Let me clean that up. " When his attempts failed, he continued, "Uh, it's not working."

"Here, let me," she said.

Alec fumbled some more. "Okay. "

"No, I got it. I got it." She pushed his arms away. "Just go. Go. "

"You sure? " Alec asked and just grabbed a bunch of random pamphlets.

"Go," she told him.

"Thank you so much, " Alec said, shooting her one last smile (that she didn't see) before scurrying away with a handfull of pamphlets that he had absolutely no use for.

 _Oh well_ , he thought. _Mission accomplished._

* * *

Alec and Izzy caught up with Jace and Jonas outside of the precinct. There were cop cars everywhere, and people were rushing about around them. "Did you get it?" Alec asked as he reached Jonas.

"Sort of," Jonas replied.

"Sort of?" Alec questioned.

"I've got the card," Jonas said. "But I need to figure out how I reached into the book before. It's… It's not an exact science."

"Can't you just pull the Cup out?" Alec questioned.

Jonas answered, "In theory, but I've never been good with theory. I'm more of a 'do or do not, there is no try' kind of guy."

Alec got the feeling that Jonas had just made some kind of 'pop culture' reference. Even though he didn't get it, Alec still found himself thinking the man adorable. Alec was doomed— Utterly, irrevocably doomed.

"Listen," Jace cut in. "You two can discuss theory as much as you want when we get back to the Institute. But right now, considering we just stole from the cops, I suggest we get home."

"Guys…" Izzy looked down at her necklace, and Alec tensed as he noticed it was pulsing. "I think the mundanes might be the least of our worries."

Alec turned back to the group. "Well, at least we know the demon necklace works."

"Never a dull day," Jace commented. "Let's go."

The three of them hurried off, with Jonas bringing up the rear. "Not to be an inconvenience, but could we slow down?"

Alec didn't pay him any mind, too busy keeping an eye out for demons. It wasn't until he heard a snarl behind him that he turned around.

Jace was already approaching the demon, and when he got close enough he smile in greeting. "Grandma," he said. The creature turned to face him and he pulled the blade out from behind his back, stabbing it through the demon's torso. It screeched as it dissipated, and Jonas gaped at the display.

"Holy fuck," he cursed.

"Language," Jace chided. "Not in front of Grandma."

Alec neared them and questioned, "How did it find us?"

"I don't know…" Jace said, trailing off as he was distracted by the demons that'd just arrived. "But she brought friends."

"What?" Jonas asked, whipping his head back around to face the three of them. "How do you know?"

"It's like seeing through a glamour," Jace said and turned to start walking again.

Alec added, "You just have to pay attention to the details."

"What details?" Jonas replied. "I don't see anything!"

Izzy pulled up alongside the two. "Behind us," she warned.

"Yep, yep. Totally see them," Jonas muttered. "They're wearing bright pink bows and everything."

The four of them pulled to a stop as more demons arrived ahead. Jonas backed up a few steps, saying, "Okay, there's too many people."

"I think I'm gonna agree with Jonas on that one," Alec said. "We gotta get out of here."

Jonas looked around for a moment, and then clapped Jace on the back. "Over here!"

He led them over to a massive staircase. The four of them raced down it and to a service door. Jonas reached it first, and tried to open it. When the door wouldn't budge, he turned to the three of them. "There must be a rune for busting stuff open, right?"

Jace stepped forward, and then promptly kicked in the door with seemingly no effort. "Open sesame," he said and grinned at Jonas before heading inside.

The four of them hurried through the door, and as they passed Jace told them, "Go."

Alec waited until the others had gotten a lead before pausing. He tapped his quiver, causing it to appear, and then drew an arrow. Jace noticed him stopping.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he questioned as he approached.

"Holding them off," Alec explained. "Take Jonas back to the Institute."

"No, if you're staying, I'm staying." Jace shrugged as though it were that simple. "We fight together."

Alec glared at him. "Don't be stupid. If the demons get the Cup, we're dead anyways."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind," Jace argued.

"You don't have a choice."

Jonas called out from his position by the wall. "Let him have his hero moment." The auburn haired Shadowhunter then narrowed his gaze at Alec. "But if you die then I'm bringing you back to life so I can kill you myself."

Alec gulped, because he actually believed the man's threat.

"Don't worry," Izzy said, noticing Jace's hesitation. "It's not like this is the first time Alec has saved your life. I doubt it'll be the last."

Alec inclined his head towards Jace. "Go."

Jace seemed reluctant to leave, but he did and Alec listened to their fading footsteps as he turned and prepared to fight.

* * *

The demon disguised himself as the Shadowhunter's friend. The demon was excited. The demon did not think it would be difficult at all to trick the poor, sad, helpless, untrained Shadowhunter. The demon did not think it would be difficult at all to _kill_ the Shadowhunter.

It listened to the Shadowhunter's pathetic cries for help, cries for "Alec! Alec!"

It listened and followed the cries, growing closer and closer to its prey by the second.

At last, the demon rounded the corner and called out, "Jonas!"

"Finally." The Shadowhunter sighed in relief. The demon approached the poor, disgusting creature. As they drew close, the Shadowhunter reached out as though to _touch_ the demon. "They hurt you," the Shadowhunter said.

The demon pulled its head away, because _gross gross_ it did not want the Shadowhunter's hands anywhere near it.

"I'll be all right," the demon— Alec… Demon!Alec— said. "You okay?" Demon!Alec asked, taking in the Shadowhunter's wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine. Barely, but–"

Demon!Alec interrupted its petty whinings. "What happened?"

"I got cornered by one of those bugs, but I sent them away with the Cup." The Shadowhunter grinned. "It was so badass. I mean, I've got no clue how I did it. It was sheer dumb luck, but it was still _awesome_."

Demon!Alec listened to it ramble for as long as possible, before saying right as it finished, "Jonas, you're amazing. I always knew you could do it. Now give me the Cup and let's go."

The Shadowhunter scoffed. "Give you the Cup?"

"Yes." Demon!Alec tried for a smile. "Only until we get back to the Institute. It's the only way I can keep you safe." Demon!Alec stared at the annoying creature intently. "I'll die before I let anything happen to you."

That's what it would like to hear, right?

The Shadowhunter nodded. "Well, I can't fault that logic."

It reached behind itself, and then suddenly Demon!Alec had been _stabbed_ (stabbed!) by the poor, sad, helpless, untrained Shadowhunter.

Demon!Alec grunted in pain and murmured, "Jonas?"

"Alec?" the Shadowhunter began to panic. "Oh fuck! Alec, no!"

As Demon!Alec felt itself fading, it fought one last time. Hoping to catch the Shadowhunter off guard, it snarled and flared its mouth open. The Shadowhunter just shoved the blade in deeper and twisted.

Demon!Alec knew no more.

* * *

Together, Alec and Luke searched for Jonas. They stepped through a door, and before Alec knew what was happening Luke called out, "Jonas!"

Alec stepped in behind Luke, and couldn't hold back a smile as he spotted a familiar, auburn haired Shadowhunter. "Jonas…" he whispered in relief.

"Alec?" Jonas questioned. Then, the man's eyes went wide. "Alec!"

Without warning, Jonas launched himself at Alec. He caught the man with only a slight stumble, and almost immediately Jonas wrapped his arms tightly around Alec

"I killed you," Jonas admitted, voice shaking. "I _killed_ you."

"Hey," Alec soothed. Feeling out of his element, but wanting to help Jonas, he rubbed a hand up and down the man's back. "You didn't kill me, I'm right here."

"But– but you were–" Jonas cut off with a shaky, choked sob. He then burrowed his face into Alec's neck. Alec pressed a hand to the back of the man's head, and held onto him tightly.

With a start, Alec realised that the man wasn't breathing.

He pulled back and stole Jonas' gaze. "Breathe," he commanded. "In and out. With me. _Breathe_ , Jonas."

Jonas took in a frantic breath that segwayed into a flurry of panicked gasps.

"Slower," Alec commanded, leaving no room for argument. "Breathe with me, Jonas. It's okay."

Jonas shook his head, breaths going in and out at an alarming rate.

Alec felt a tendril of fear curl in his gut as he realised that Jonas was having a panic attack.

"You're safe now, Jonas," Alec told the man in a careful voice. He let his forehead rest against the other man's, breathing pointedly in and out of his nose. "You're going to be okay, this will pass. Just try to breathe as slowly and deeply as possible."

"Get him to sit down," Luke commented quietly from where he stood.

Alec nodded and guided Jonas to sit down against the wall. He kept a comforting touch on the man and eyed him closely. "What you are feeling is scary, I know, but I'm here. I'm going to keep you safe.

Jonas shook his head, shutting his eyes as his entire body began to tremble. Alec repeated, "I'm not dead, Jonas. You didn't kill me. You _didn't_ kill me."

Jonas' gaze snapped to Alec's face, eyes opening wide as he stared at Alec.

"Breathe with me," Alec tried again, and opened his mouth to suck in a deep breath.

Much to his _immense_ relief, Jonas copied him.

Alec held his breath for a few beats before breathing out _slowly_. Jonas did the same.

He repeated the process for as long as it took. When Jonas was finally breathing normally, Alec felt like his heart started to beat again.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked, when Jonas just stared at him. "Do you need anything?"

Jonas swallowed. "What?" he asked, in a dry, raspy voice.

"Do you need anything?" Alec repeated. "Anything at all?"

Jonas shook his head. "Just you," he explained. "'Need to know you're safe." He then leaned into Alec's side, resting his head against Alec's right shoulder.

Alec looked up and sought out Luke's gaze. "Can you give us a minute?" he asked lightly.

Luke nodded. "I'll go check the perimeter. Yell if you need something."

Alec watched the werewolf walk off, and then turned to Jonas.

"There was a demon," Jonas explained. "Shapeshifter. It looked just like you."

Alec turned and glanced at what must've been the demons remained. He looked back to Jonas. "How'd you know it wasn't me?"

Jonas smiled weakly. "I just knew."

"Really?" Alec arched a brow. He asked in a joking tone, "Kind of a risk, wasn't it?"

"Not to inflate your ego any further," Jonas began. "But you actually have some good advice every now and them. 'You just have to pay attention to the details'."

Alec inclined his head and said, "I'm glad you avoided getting yourself killed."

"You do care," Jonas teased.

Alec hummed non-committedly.

"Alec," Jonas started. Alec glanced down at the man, meeting hesitant, vibrant green eyes. "What you said in the precinct, did you mean it?"

"About the underwear?" Alec felt his cheeks heat slightly. "No, of course not."

"No, not the underwear." Jonas huffed in amusement. "All of that… mushy, gooey stuff that was surprisingly poetic."

"Oh." Alec ducked his gaze.

He didn't know how to answer that.

...Because some of it had been true.

"Alec," Jonas said.

"Hmm?"

"Kiss me."

Alec looked up, surprised by the man's words. Jonas was looking at him with a level of intensity and sincerity that Alec had never seen before. Alec tracked the bob of Jonas' adam's apple as he swallowed, and then watched as the man's tongue flicked out to wet his full, pink lips.

Alec couldn't resist.

He pressed forward, reaching up with one hand to hold Jonas' cheek as their lips met in a searing hot kiss. Jonas let out a contented sigh, and Alec pulled back to press another kiss against the man's lips. It was a whirlwind of too-much teeth and not enough tongue and not knowing what to do with his hands and forgetting to breathe.

It was fierce and rough and caring and _warm_ and perfectly imperfect.

It was a kiss, many kisses, it was Jonas not shoving him away like before, and them losing themselves in each other.

They pulled apart, both panting to catch their breath. At some point, Alec had found his hand drifting up and carding through Jonas' hair, which was now all tousled and _breathtaking_ because of him. Jonas' full, pink lips were shining with saliva and puffy from their kissing. His cheeks were flushed, eyes wide in a mix of shock and wonder.

Alec… Alec could definitely get used to seeing Jonas look like that.

"Wow," Jonas said in a rush of wispy breath.

Alec grinned, sure that he was feeling exactly the same way. "Yeah."

* * *

They returned to the Institute to find Jace looking panicked as he bustled about the room. "Right now, Jonas is the only thing that matters."

"Jace," Jonas called to the man.

Jace turned, and his expression turned to one of relief as he took in Jonas' unhurt form. "You okay?" he asked.

Jonas hurried down the steps to meet him. Alec waited up top with Izzy.

"I'm fine." Jonas grinned. "Even better, I got the Cup."

"I don't care about the Cup," Jace replied. "When I came out of the tunnels, I didn't see you. I was worried something might have happened to you."

Jonas shrugged. "I dealt with it. I was such a badass, you should've seen it."

Jace chuckled, taking his word for it. He looked up to Alec. "You alright?"

"Fine," Alec said. _Better than fine_ , he thought as his lips tingled at the memory of his and Jonas' kiss. He shook the memory from his head and walked down the stairs over to the monitor. He wanted to make sure that no one was coming for the Cup.

Jonas drew their attention when he slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out the Cup from an inside pocket. He held it in front of himself, staring at it incredulously. "I mean, it's pretty, but it doesn't look very powerful."

"That pretty cup saved your life," Jace quipped in reply.

"You know if I hadn't gotten it out in time I'd probably be dead right now."

Jace replied, "But you did. First rule of Shadowhunting… when something explodes, just keep walking. Never think twice. Never look away."

"And rule numero due?" Jonas prompted.

Izzy cut in then, slashing out with her whip so that it wrapped around the Cup. She then tugged the Cup back to her and grasped it in her left hand. "There's nothing a Shadowhunter can't do in heels," she said and stepped down the stairs.

Jace walked over to Alec, joining him at his position in front of the monitor. "Alec, what are you doing?" he asked. "You can stare at this monitor all you want, they need angel blood to get past the wards. You know that. No Downworlder can come into the Institute."

"Not without an invite by a Shadowhunter," Izzy commented.

Alec crossed his arms and turned around to face his sister. "Last I checked, Valentine is a Shadowhunter. The Cup is not safe here. We have to give it back to the Clave."

"Why would we give it to those asshats?" Jonas asked. "We're the ones who went to all of the trouble to get it, and they didn't lift a finger to help. No thank you."

"My brother is right," Izzy cut in. "The Cup is extremely important."

Jonas sighed, whilst Alec stared at his sister with incredulity. "Are you agreeing with me?"

She shrugged. "I'm full of surprises."

Jonas took a step forward, tightly gripping the tarot card that he must have put the cup back into. "Valentine wants the Cup, with it, we have the upperhand. That's a serious advantage." He looked to Alec. "Sorry, but I'm not just going to give it away."

"I agree with Jonas," Jace said. "We can't give the Cup to the Clave, not now. We need it." Jace turned to Alec. "It's our only bargaining chip."

Jonas nodded. "But I'll do everything in my power to make sure it stays out of Valentine's hands. I mean, the Cup has the power to create new Shadowhunters, control demons and even kill a mundane if they drank from it. There's no way I'm letting him have all of that power."

"There you go," Jace said. "You have his word."

Alec sighed and turned towards the training room. "Follow me," he told Jonas.

There were a few people in the training room, and Alec gestured for them to leave as he walked over to the floor safe. He knelt over it and activated the rune, causing the safe to rise up from the floor.

Jonas hovered behind Alec. "Alec… About before…"

Alec held out his hand for the card, and Jonas handed it over without protest.

"I just wanted you to know that… I wouldn't exactly be opposed to us… y'know… doing that again. Or a lot. Or like, right now."

Alec swallowed thickly and put the tarot card on the shelf. Then he stood and closed the safe with a flourish of his stele. "I– I… um." Alec faltered and glanced at Jonas. The man appeared hopeful, and nervous. Alec felt the same. "That would be… nice."

"'Nice'?" Jonas repeated suspiciously.

Alec cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "Nice, yeah."

"Well." Jonas smiled then, all white teeth and dimpled cheeks. "I'll take what I can get."

Alec rolled his eyes, but felt a smile spread across his face. Needing to get away from Jonas before they got carried away, Alec said, "I should… probably get back to work."

Jonas nodded indulgently. "Okay."

Alec turned and scurried off before he said anything else idiotic.

As he neared the main monitor, the scanners picked something up. Whatever it was, it had breached their wards. "What the... He–"

Alec cut off, watching in shock as the intruder stopped within the perimeter of the Institute. Alarms began to blare, and Alec stared at the monitor, sensing Jace come up alongside him. "There's something outside the perimeter," Jace said.

Alec began to say, "I told you–"

"Don't say it," Jace cut in.

Jonas stared at them in confusion. "I'm assuming the alarm means bad things."

Izzy sighed. "Looks like someone's trying to break in."

"Could be the Circle," Jace said.

The three of them began moving as one, with Jonas hurrying after them. "Told you so," Alec quipped finally.

Jace sighed. "Too soon."

As they headed towards the exit, Alec pulled on his jacket and so did Jace. They stepped outside, drawing their weapons in preparation. "Don't move," Jace called out as they spotted a figure in the distance.

"Drop what you're holding," Alec warned. He drew back the string of his bow, readying to fire an arrow. "Put your hands up."

The figure froze, and the three of them came to a stop as Jonas caught up to them.

Alec aimed his arrow at the figure as it turned around, revealing Raphael, who was holding Simon bridal style.

And Simon looked… pretty friggin' dead.

Alec lowered his weapon slightly, noticing that the vampire was unarmed and busy carrying Simon's… corpse?

"Oh boy," Jonas muttered. "Is he dead?"

Raphael shot him a bland look. "Yes."

Jonas sucked in a sharp breath. "Well… shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... The big kiss! I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'm excited to see your reactions :P  
> Now, of course, this isn't to say things will all go smoothly for Jonas and Alec from now on, but it's definitely the start of... something!


	11. Chapter 11

Jace and Raphael lowered Simon onto the table. Jace used a book as a kind of pillow for Simon's head and then he stepped back and watched as Jonas approached the body.

"People will be wondering what we found outside the perimeter," Jace said.

"I'll go," Alec offered. "I'll tell 'em we didn't find anything. Nobody will come down here."

Alec turned to leave, and Jace caught the soft look Jonas shot at him as he went.

Jace had definitely caught the…  _thing_  going on between Jonas and Alec, but he had no idea what exactly the 'thing' was— Or how exactly Magnus Bane was involved.

"I might be a vampire…" Raphael spoke up as he spotted the piled of crucifixes in the back. "But I was raised a good Catholic." The vampire then made the sign of the cross in a respectful manner.

"The vampires breached the Accords," Izzy said. "Killing Simon is grounds for war."

Raphael argued, "The vampires were not behind this. Just Camille. She attacked Simon on her own."

"And how do we know you're telling the truth?" Jace snapped.

"I could have gotten rid of him, but instead I brought him here." Raphael stared evenly at them all in turn. "I don't want trouble with the Shadowhunters."

"Smart decision," Izzy replied.

Raphael's lips thinned. "I warned the mundane to stay away… but Camille gave him a taste of her own blood, and like an addict… he came back wanting more."

Jonas huffed. "I mean, if we're going to play the blame game then you were the ones who kidnapped him and got Simon addicted to Camille's blood. And now he's dead." Jonas crossed his arms. "Last I checked, one plus one equals two."

"I never meant for this to happen," Raphael insisted.

Jonas glared at the man with an icy gaze. "That doesn't change the fact that he's  _dead_."

Jace swallowed thickly at Jonas' words and watched Raphael sit down. "There is a way," the vampire said.

"'A way' what?" Jace asked.

Raphael leaned forward to answer him, "A way to bring Simon back."

Jonas blinked, "What?"

"He's a fledgling. It's a state of transition. Your friend can be resurrected."

Jace disagreed immediately, "No."

"Jonas, no," Izzy said.

Jonas' brows furrowed as he thought it through. "We can bring him back to life?"

"That's just it," Izzy cut in. "He won't return alive or breathing. He'll be a vampire."

"And not the sexed up, romantic kind," Jace cut in. He looked pointedly at Raphael. "The ugly, bloodsucking, coffin-dwelling kind."

Raphael sat back, scrunching his nose in distaste. "That's offensive."

"Really?" Jace retorted, incredulous.

"Coffin implies wooden box," Raphael said. "We have caskets now. They're made of 14-karat gold."

Jace clicked his tongue in mock sympathy. "My bad."

Raphael sighed and looked up at the windows. "It's almost sunrise. Simon must be turned into a vampire tonight or staked through the heart."

"What about option C?" Jonas asked. "We leave him be."

"His soul will be trapped for eternity," Raphael answered, sounding bored.. "You have 'till sunset to decide. The clock is ticking."

Jace huffed, pursing his lips in displeasure.

Izzy looked between Jace, Jonas and Raphael. She then said, "I'm going to help my brother. Good luck sorting this out."

With that said, she left the room and Jace walked over to the side of the room. He grabbed a sheet and brought it back to Simon, draping it over the boy's body.

Jace walked over and leaned against the wall, studying the Shadowhunter across from him. Jonas was staring at Simon's body, seemingly deep in thought.

"Jonas," Jace said. "Are you okay?"

Jonas looked up, meeting Jace's gaze. "Hmm?"

"You alright?" Jace reiterated.

"I never really knew Simon," Jonas said, sounding distant. "He was always Clary's friend."

Jace waited in silence for Jonas to say more.

With a sigh, the man continued, "I'm not the one who can make this decision. I– I  _can't_."

He stood and walked to the head of the table. Jace didn't know what to say to the man. He figured telling the guy that he didn't have a choice- that he was the only one who had even a slight claim to this decision- wouldn't go down well.

"What could go wrong if I bury him?"

"Jonas, no." Jace shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Shh," Jonas hushed him.

Raphael sighed. "If Simon is buried and he doesn't emerge… he would be trapped under the earth… starving for eternity."

"Jesus," Jonas cursed. "What about the other option?"

"If you stake him," Raphael said. "He'll die a human death. It's painless, as far as I know."

Jonas shook his head. "I can't do this. I need to– I need to see his mother."

"What?" Jace questioned. "You can't be–"

He cut off as Jonas dashed up the stairs and out of the basement. Jace shot Raphael a bitter look before hurrying after Jonas. He caught up with the man as he exited the Institute.

"Don't try and stop me," Jonas hissed as Jace neared.

Jace exhaled slowly, knowing this was all going to end badly, but he didn't have it in himself to stop it.

"I won't."

* * *

Jace remained glamoured and watched Jonas walk up and knock on the door to Simon's house. Jace stood off to the side, but was close enough that he could slip in after Jonas if they entered.

"Hello?" A lady said as she opened the door.

"Hi, Miss. Lewis." Jonas offered a nervous, but polite smile. "I don't know if you remember me... My name is Jonas, I'm–"

"Clary's brother," Miss. Lewis said. She smiled in recognition. "I haven't seen you in years, last I heard you went away to boarding school."

"Something like that," Jonas replied vaguely.

"Well, it's a pleasure to see you again." Miss. Lewis opened the door wider and took a step back. "Did you want to come in for some ice tea? I just was about to pour myself a glass."

"Um, sure." Jonas glanced back at Jace, and then slipped inside. Jace followed after quickly, and managed to dash in before Miss. Lewis shut the door.

"I'll be right back," Miss. Lewis said. She gestured to the living room. "Have a seat."

"Thanks."

Jace walked over to the far end of the room, examining a photo on the desk. It was of the mundane and his family. Jace sighed, frustrated, and glanced at Jonas. "This is a bad idea. Promise me you won't tell a mundane" -Jonas sighed at Jace's words- "that Simon was bitten by a vampire.

"I'm not stupid," Jonas said.

"Good," Jace said. He put down the photo frame and continued, "'Cause part of our job as Shadowhunters is making sure mundanes don't know anything about the Shadow World."

Simon's mother returned then, offering a drink to Jonas.

"I'm… Uh, actually here to talk about simon," Jonas hurried to say. "I was supposed to meet with him when I got back to town but…"

Miss. Lewis sighed as she explained, "I haven't heard anything from Simon since yesterday, Jonas. And he flipped out on Rebecca and I. And then just disappeared. Have you heard from him? Or have you seen him?" She asked. "Should I be calling the police?"

"Er, no. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually," Jonas replied evasively. "Worst comes to worst, I've got Luke on speed dial."

"I just want to know if he's all right."

Jonas exhaled in a huff, resigned. "I saw him."

_Well crap_ , Jace thought. Things had taken a turn for the worse.

"Oh, my God." Miss. Lewis put down her drink and sat next to Jonas. "You did? Where? Where is he? Is he okay?"

"Not… really," Jonas replied.

Jace got ready to interrupt the conversation if need be. He lined his hand up with a small monkey statue, prepared to knock it off.

"Is it drugs?" Simon's mother asked. "I mean, he said that it wasn't, but–"

"It's definitely not drugs," Jonas said. He hesitated.

"Jonas… Whatever it is, I can handle it."

Jonas swallowed and began, "Here's the thing–"

Jace cut him off by knocking the statue off the edge of the shelf. It landed with a loud  _thud_  and Miss. Lewis looked over in confusion. "What the…"

She got up to investigate, and Jace hurried over to Jonas.

"What are you doing?"

Jonas whispered back, "I have no fucking clue."

Jace glanced back, noticing that Miss. Lewis was finishing up. "Just… Don't tell her about the Shadow World. That will only put her in danger."

Jonas gulped and nodded.

Miss. Lewis walked back over to Jonas, carrying the monkey statue. "Simon got this for me for Mother's Day. You know, 'cause he's my little... monkey. Jonas, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him. Rebecca and Simon, they're all I have. After I lost their father…"

She trailed off, and then sniffled and prompted, "But you were saying?"

Jonas ducked his gaze. "I've gotta go, but I'll let you know if I hear from him."

"Oh." Miss. Lewis blinked, clearly she'd not been expecting that. "Okay. Thanks for stopping by."

Jonas got to his feet without meeting her gaze. Jace hurried after him, and after a few more farewell exchanges, the two Shadowhunters stood outside.

After a few moments, Jonas sniffed and turned to Jace.

"Jonas… what happened back there?"

"I was going to tell her that Simon's not coming home," Jonas said. "But I couldn't. It didn't feel right deciding that for him."

"You need to figure out what you're doing," Jace scolded.

"I'm trying to," Jonas said. "I mean, logically it's better to just give him a human death, right? But then I feel like crap thinking that because at least if he's a vampire he can stick around to see the Deadpool sequel. I just can't rationalise my feelings, okay?"

"Okay. Look..." Jace sighed and started walking. Jonas hurried to keep up. "There was a boy… and his father bought him a falcon for his sixth birthday."

For a moment it looked like Jonas wanted to make a comment, but he refrained.

Jace continued. "His father told him to tame the bird. Make it obedient. And the boy would spend every day with that falcon. It would scratch at him. Make him bleed. But eventually… he earned its trust. He brought the bird to his father, to show him that the bird would come back to him. He thought his father would be proud."

Jace paused, swallowing as the memory played fresh in his mind. "His father took the falcon and snapped its neck."

"That's horrible," Jonas said. "And incredibly messed up."

"You're missing the point," Jace said. "Yes... the boy was devastated. But he realized his father was right. He was told to tame the bird" -Jace's voice came out, hoarse and thick with emotion as he continued- "not to love it. That's why you have to listen to your head. If I listened to my heart… I'd never be able to do my job. Third rule of Shadowhunting… emotions cloud judgment."

Jonas was silent for a moment, and then he glanced over at Jace. There was something… empathetic in his gaze. "Thank you for telling me that."

Speechless, Jace merely inclined his head in a 'your welcome' kind of motion.

They walked in silence for a while longer, before Jonas finally spoke up.

"What about Luke?"

"Luke?" Jace asked, raising a single, arched brow.

"He was closer with Clary, and probably Simon, than I was." As Jonas spoke, he seemed to grow more confident in his idea. He nodded. "Let's go talk to Luke."

Jace shrugged. He didn't have any better ideas. "Okay."

* * *

The bell chimed as they stepped into the restaurant. Jace looked around in concern as he took in the trashed state of the place. Luke approached them as he noticed them enter. Jace looked to the man and asked, "What happened?"

"Uh... you should see the other guy. We were attacked by a Forsaken, if you can even call it that. Anyway, it's dead. It looks worse than it was." Luke exhaled, clearly dismissing the severity of the situation. "I called Alec. He took the Forsaken back to the Institute for an autopsy."

Jace began to walk around the room, examining things. He looked up to comment, "We've got the best forensic pathologist in New York."

"Yeah, so I've heard." Luke turned to Jonas. "Jonas, what are you doing here? Now that you have the Cup, you know you should be back at the Institute, protected."

"I haven't taken my eyes off him," Jace declared. He was kind of offended that the werewolf could think he'd just let Jonas roam around, defenceless, to get himself killed.

"Something's happened," Jonas said. "And… It's not good." He drew a steadying breath and continued, "Simon… Simon's dead."

"Oh God," Luke murmured.

"There's a chance we can save him though," Jonas hurried to explain. "He's a vampire fledgling…"

Luke nodded, his gaze flickered to Jace.

Jace caught the pointed look and bowed his head. "I'll be outside if you need me, Jonas."

"Thanks," Jonas said. "Stay close."

With a nod, Jace exited the restaurant.

* * *

Once Jonas was finished, Jace took him back to the Institute and to Simon's body. Jonas stared at it for a while, whilst Raphael looked between them both.

"The sun is setting," Raphael spoke eventually. "Have you decided?"

Jonas nodded. "I don't deserve to make the decision, Simon does. I at least owe him the chance to decide what to do with his life. We're going to bury him, and if he doesn't want to exist as a vampire, I'll stab him myself."

Jace's jaw clenched, unhappy with the man's decision, but understanding it. "Okay then." He pulled the blanket off of Simon's body and tucked one arm under the boy's neck, the other under his knees. "Grab a shovel," he said, heaving Simon's body into his arms. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

They traveled deep within the cemetery, and Jace continued glancing intermittently at Jonas. It was hard to judge how the man was fairing, but Jace kept a close eye on him anyway.

Eventually, Raphael stopped at an empty plot of land. He dropped his duffel bag and Jace took his cue.

He stepped forward and gently lowered Simon's body to the ground. Jace then stepped back and glanced at Raphael, but they all turned suddenly at a noise in the distance.

Jace drew his blade in preparation, and a moment later Camille appeared.

"You shouldn't be here," Jonas said.

"I want my property back," Camille replied.

Jonas glared at her. "Last I checked, you can't own people."

"If you'll just hand him over," Camille continued. "I'll be on my way."

Jace stepped forward threateningly. "You heard Jonas. You're not laying a hand on him."

"Fine. I tried to do this the nice way." Camille snapped her fingers, and over a dozen vampires appeared behind her.

Jonas glanced at Jace in concern. "Jace–"

"I'm glad you brought everyone here to witness your demise," Raphael cut in. "Camille killed this mundane," Raphael said and pointed at Simon. "Now, I have all the proof. She's been breaking the Accords for too long now. He's the evidence we need to show the Clave what Camille has been doing."

Camille chuckled at his words. "Are you trying to overthrow me?"

"No," Raphael said. "I already have."

The vampires raced closer to Camille, and she shouted, "Don't listen to him. Raphael doesn't know the first thing about leading. You need me. I've given you everything you could want. All the riches. All the pleasures you could desire."

"By breaking the law," Raphael cut in. "Which will only destroy us."

"We can fix this," Camille insisted. "If we just get rid of the body, this mundane means nothing."

Jace glanced at Jonas, noticing how he'd tensed and seemed  _furious_. For a moment, Jace wondered whether the man would go and punch Camille. Whilst Jace was sure it would've been interesting, Jonas refrained.

"Fuck.  _You_." Jonas spat the words, pronouncing them with such clear vindication that Jace felt kind of scared.

Then, all of the vampires converged on Camille and captured her, dragging to vampire off to somewhere. Hopefully some place awful.

Content that they were safe to proceed, Raphael grabbed the shovel and offered it to Jonas.

Jonas nodded and took it, then with palpable determination, he began to dig.

* * *

Jace and Jonas took turns digging and then filling the grave. Simon's body was buried in between. Raphael wasn't much help, but Jace didn't really give a shit about the vampire.

Jonas sat down once they were done, appearing exhausted. Jace sat down next to the man, and they waited.

After a few minutes, Jonas brought out his phone and plugged in headphones. He placed one bud into his right ear and began to listen to something.

As time passed by, Jace noticed Jonas become more and more anxious. Eventually, he gave in and tried to comfort the man. "That mundane's a fighter," Jace said. He smiled. "He survived the vampires at the Hotel DuMort. He survived the werewolves at Jade Wolf. He survived accounting… for whatever that's worth."

Jonas sucked in a sharp breath and pulled out the earbud. "Thanks, Jace."

Jace's chest warmed, glad that he'd helped, even just a little.

The ground began to rumble all of a sudden, and both Jace and Jonas stumbled to their feet. Raphael hurried over, bringing his duffel with him. "It's happening."

The three of them watched in intrigue as, first, a hand broke through the surface of the grave. Simon's hand clawed at the ground as he managed to free his head, and then finally the freshly-turned vampire pulled himself out of the grave.

It was a terrifying, but impressive display. That grave was  _deep_.

Simon panted, sounding rabid. Jace felt wariness settle in his bones, and when Simon suddenly snarled, Jace pulled Jonas back and away from the kid.

Simon's legs didn't seem to be working properly, though, and he dragged himself along the turned soil, snarling at the two Shadowhunters.

"Once reborn, you emerge hungry," Raphael declared. He opened a bag of blood and then chucked it to the ground in front of Simon. Simon rushed to the bag and ripped it open with his teeth, chugging the contents.

He'd finished it within seconds.

Raphael opened another bag and threw it to Simon. Simon did the same with that bag as well.

"Very hungry," Raphael commented. "Drink up."

When Simon eventually became cohesive enough to realise what was going on, he looked up at Jonas. "Jonas... what's happening?"

"You kind of... died," Jonas said.

"I what?" Simon questioned. He ducked his gaze, and caught sight of all the empty blood bags littering the ground. "What's this?" He grabbed one of the empty bags and gasped, throwing it away and scampering backwards. "That's blood!"

He then must have noticed his fangs, because he reached up and gripped them. "Oh, my–" he tried to say something, but cut off. "Oh, my–" He spluttered, saliva falling from his mouth as he snapped. "Why can't I say–" He choked again, gagging.

"God," Raphael finished for him. "It'll take time to regain the ability. There's a lot you will need to learn."

"Oh, my–" Simon began to say, but stopped. He slammed his hands into the dirt beneath him. "Damn it!" He was shuddering as he next spoke, "Am I… Am I a vampire?"

Jonas nodded. "Yes, but not the sparkling kind."

Simon ducked his gaze again. "Jonas, tell me… tell me this isn't real. Tell me this is not really happening!"

"This isn't real," Jonas said in a wistful voice. "Life is a lie, nothing is real."

Jace shot the man an unimpressed look. Jonas shrugged, but lowered his head sheepishly.

"I'm… I'm... I'm repulsive!" Simon shouted.

"Er, no," Jonas said. "No you are definitely not repulsive. Trust me, I know repulsive."

Simon shook his head, as though he hadn't heard Jonas' words at all. "I'm nothing more than a monster."

"You are  _definitely_  not a–" Jonas began to say, but Simon interrupted.

"Stay away!" Simon exclaimed and jumped to his feet. "Please just… stay away."

He then ran off in a blur of movement.

"Shit," Jonas cursed, and reached up to tug at his hair in frustration.

"I'll look after Simon," Raphael said. "You have my word."

Raphael then followed after Simon. Jace watched him go, and then turned to Jonas.

"You okay?" Jace asked. "That was…"

"Rough? Scary? Concerning?" Jonas exhaled in a rush of breath. "I'm going to avoid thinking about it. Right now we need to find Simon."

Jace nodded. "C'mon," he said.

The two of them raced off after Raphael, sprinting at a speed that pushed them to their limits. They emerged from an alleyway and turned left, screeching to a stop as Raphael stepped forward. "I swear, if that kid ruins one more jacket…"

"Did you see where he went?" Jonas snapped.

"He'll be back."

Jace glared at the vampire. "You just let him go? You said you'd look after him."

Raphael seemed unfazed. "I can't do that until he's ready."

"Well that explains everything," Jonas replied in a drawl.

Raphael elaborated, "He's gone where everyone does when this happens. His own personal hell."

"Because of me," Jonas said.

"If it helps," Raphael began. "He doesn't even remember it was you. Those first minutes… a complete blank."

Jonas shot him a look. "Oh yeah, I'll just keep that hidden from the newbie vampire.  _That's_  gonna end well."

Raphael ignored his response. "Once you rein him in, he'll be walking, talking proof to the Clave that Camille broke the Accords. In fact, as a new leader–"

"You know what, Raphael?" Jonas interrupted. "That's the least of our problems right now. There's a baby vampire on the loose, and we need to track him down before he does something he'll regret."

"Give me a call when he turns up," Raphael said and inclined his head. "He'll need my help."

Jace watched the vampire walk away and opened his mouth to offer a scathing retort. Jonas spoke up before he could.

"Wait," Jonas called. Raphael paused, turning his head to show he was listening.

"We… Uh. It—" Jonas ducked his head, and finally managed in a rush, "At the graveyard, with Camille, things probably wouldn't have gone as smoothly without you there."

Raphael's lips twitched, perhaps in amusement, and then he was gone.

"...Nice," Jace commented.

Jonas' cheeks flamed. He grumbled, "Shutup."

Chuckling in amusement, Jace pulled out his phone and dialed Alec's number.

"Who are you calling?" Jonas asked.

Jace held the phone to his ear. "I'm getting reinforcements," he explained. As soon as the call went through, Jace said, "Alec, I need you."

" _It's Izzy."_  There was a paused. " _We need you. There's been an attack at the Institute."_

"An attack?" Jace questioned, concerned.

He pulled the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker so Jonas could hear.

" _Valentine created a Forsaken that went through the wards."_

"That's not possible, Izzy." Jace frowned and argued, "Nothing can get through the wards. There... There are warlock spells to defend against all Downworlders."

" _Not this one. It had Seelie blood with angel properties."_  Another pause. " _Jace, it went after Hodge and Alec."_

"Is Alec okay?" Jonas asked.

"Are they okay?" Jace inquired at the same time.

The two shared a look.

Jace began to ask, "Did Alec–"

" _They're banged up, but they'll live. Hodge killed it. It was after the Cup."_

"Izzy," Jace said. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

He hung up and slid the phone into his pocket before running off. Jonas followed closely behind, but eventually he began to lag and he called out for Jace to stop.

"Slow down, Usain." Jonas panted as Jace pulled to a stop. He leaned over his knees, gasping for air. "Man, you're too fucking fast."

"Valentine attacked my home," Jace said and started at a slow walk. Jonas followed with a groan. "Alec's injured. We've got to go."

"As much as I want to check on Alec," Jonas began. "I need to go after Simon. He's my responsibility."

"It's not safe out here, Jonas."

"I know I'm still kind of a baby Shadowhunter," Jonas said. He gestured in frustration. "But you're forgetting that we don't have a lot of options right now and–"

Jace pulled to a stop. "Jonas, you're right, okay?" He reached out and placed a hand on the man's shoulder to stop him. "You're right."

Jonas chuckled, expression shifting to one of disbelief. "Did I just get Jace Wayland's seal of approval?"

Jace sighed. "Don't get used to it." He thought for a moment, and then said, "Look, maybe Luke can help you find Simon. Werewolves are really great trackers."

"That's not a terrible idea," Jonas said.

Jace huffed, but clapped the man on the shoulder once again. "Good luck, don't get killed."

"Yeah," Jonas replied. "I'd hate to saddle you with all of that paperwork."

Jace huffed and turned away from the man, because he had more important shit to deal with.

...Also so he could hide the amused twitch of his lips.

* * *

Jace spotted Alec and Izzy up in the training room, and he hurried over to them. "Hey. You all right?" Jace asked his parabatai.

Alec turned his head away, and replied under his breath, "I'm fine."

Somewhat satisfied, Jace said, "I just spoke to Robert and Maryse. They're being sent back to Idris."

Izzy frowned. "What?"

"Yeah," Jace confirmed.

Izzy turned to Alec. "Another 'order' from Lydia?"

Sensing the tension between the two siblings, Jace asked, "Who's Lydia?"

"She's in charge of the Institute," Izzy replied, clearly displeased with the situation.

Jace's gaze snapped to Alec. "She's what?"

"Temporarily," Alec elaborated.

"And now she's convinced the Clave that Mom and Dad aren't doing their job?" Izzy summarised.

"Well, maybe they aren't," Alec snapped. "The Institute was under their control when the Forsaken got in."

Jace couldn't believe what his parabatai was saying. "What are you talking about?" he asked, growing impatient.

In reply, Alec blurted, "Mom and Dad were members of the Circle."

"What?" Izzy exclaimed. "They don't have Circle runes."

"That's because they made a deal with the Clave prior to the Uprising. In exchange for their cooperation, they were pardoned."

Izzy stared incredulously at her brother and demanded, "You're questioning their loyalty?"

"Valentine is back," Alec began to list. Jace crossed his arms, not happy with where this was going. "The Circle is rising. They're under suspicion."

"No way," Jace said. "Robert and Maryse took me in. They raised me as one of their own. I know what kind of people they are."

"Are you sure?" Alec countered. "They lied to us. For years, they've been telling us how to act. That we have to uphold the Lightwood name. Well, they're the ones who tarnished it. They're hypocrites."

The sound of footsteps drew their attention, and Jace turned to see a blonde female approach. "You must be Jace Wayland," she said and came to stand next to Alec. "Lydia Branwell. You're quite the legend back in Idris."

She stuck out her hand to shake, Jace ignored it.

From what he'd learned, he didn't like this 'Lydia Branwell.'

Jace inclined his head. "Don't believe everything you hear."

Lydia glanced at Alec. "Did you tell them?"

"Tell us what?" Izzy asked.

Alec paused for a moment, seeming resigned. "Lydia and I are engaged," he admitted.

Lydia smiled at them. "We're getting married."

_What?_  Jace thought, unable to process what he'd just heard. "You're not serious," he said.

"You were supposed to tell them 'no'," Izzy said, glaring at her brother. "It's your life to ruin."

She then stormed off, and Jace shifted uncomfortably. He looked between the engaged ( _engaged!_ ) couple. "Not sure what to say."

He was confused. He could've sworn there was something going on between his parabatai, Jonas and Magnus.

"How about, 'None of this matters'?" Alec suggested. "We have to stop Valentine."

"Finally," Jace said, confusion forgotten. "Something we agree on."

* * *

Later, Jace, Alec and Izzy approached a monitor to watch Meliorn's interrogation.

"This is insane," Izzy said. "We have to put a stop to this."

"Yeah, well," Alec began. "Enjoy Portaling back to Idris with Mom and Dad."

Izzy's gaze snapped to Alec. "Meliorn is here because of me."

"Alec's right," Jace cut in, wanting to prevent an argument. "There's nothing we can do to stop this interrogation."

Izzy turned her head slightly, shooting Jace a glare. "You're on Alec's side now?"

Alec spoke before Jace had a chance. "We swore to protect each other, of course he's on my side."

Jace disagreed. "I'm not picking sides. Jace Wayland is Switzerland." He glanced at the monitor. "We have got to find Valentine. Let's let this play out, Izzy. Meliorn might have some important information."

They all turned back to watch the interrogation play out.

" _Forensics don't lie,"_  Lydia was saying. " _Tell me what you know about the blood in the Forsaken."_

Meliorn spoke up. " _Have you considered that the blood in the Forsaken came from our dead scouts? Scouts sent to help you hunt for Valentine. Why do you think we would side with a murderer?"_

" _Seelies always play both sides,"_  Lydia countered.

" _You should talk to your own people about playing sides."_

Lydia cocked her head. " _Excuse me?"_

Meliorn smirked. " _You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? If only Shadowhunters had a better relationship with us… Downworlders, you'd know that Valentine's son has the Cup."_

"Still think we should let this play out?" Izzy asked.

Jace's lips thinned in displeasure.

This was… very much not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Alec's getting married. Talk about awkward. How do you guys think Jonas is gonna react when he finds out?
> 
> Also, we are getting SO CLOSE to one of my favorite archs (or, well, part) of this story. I'll give you a bit of a teaser, Jonas and Alec are going to be reunited in an unexpected way. You guys got any guesses for what I'm talking about?


	12. Chapter 12

Jace stepped into Jonas' room, finding a whole bunch of Shadowhunters rooting around in his friend's things. He turned and found a man rifling through Jonas' personal possessions. "I'm pretty sure that's not the cup you're looking for," Jace said, snatching the notebook from the man's hands.

"Give me a break, Wayland," the man groused. "I'm just trying to do my job."

Jace walked over to his parabatai. "Alec, call this off now."

Alec clenched his jaw. "I guess Jonas' bedroom is in part of Switzerland?"

His words only served to anger Jace further. He'd thought Alec and Jonas were friends, or at least on good terms, but apparently not.

"We can't call it off," Lydia said as she approached. "We have to find the Mortal Cup."

"It's all clear," a Shadowhunter declared.

Jace shot the man a glare. "Of course it is."

Lydia sighed. "It's not here. Let's keep looking."

Jace waited until Lydia and the other Shadowhunters had left. Then he stared at Alec. "What is going on with you?"

"Look, Jace," Alec began. "We have to turn over the Cup."

Jace shook his head. "Alec, he's risked everything to find it."

"And we've risked everything for him," Alec countered. "Either he gives the Cup to Lydia, or I'll do it myself."

"Why don't you just talk to him then?" Jace questioned.

Alec's gaze narrowed in distaste, body tensing.

Jace sighed and lowered his gaze, sensing he wouldn't win this argument. "I'll bring him back," he said. He had a plan. "But, please, let Jonas be the one to give the Cup to the Clave. We owe him that much."

He looked up, and Alec nodded. "It's the right call," he said. "You'll see."

Alec then walked off, and Jace waited for a moment before shooting a glare over his shoulder. He pulled his phone out and took a photo of the blocking rune on his bicep. He then sent it to Jonas and once the picture had gone through, he dialed his number.

" _Jace,"_  Jonas said in greeting.

"Did you get the picture I sent?"

" _Yeah."_

"Draw it. Now." Jace glanced around himself, making sure no one was overhearing his conversation. "It's a Blocking rune. It prevents anyone from finding you using Shadowhunter tracking." He paused for a moment, giving Jonas time to draw the room. Then he continued, careful not to mention Alec, "Jonas, the Clave heard you had the Cup. They think you're working with Valentine."

" _That's gotta the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life, and considering I was recently told all about the Shadow World, that says a lot."_

Jace waited for the man to finish. He then said, "I'm going to secure the Cup. You need to get to someplace safe. Someplace the Clave would never look. I'll find you."

He then waited until Jonas hung up before heading off to find Izzy.

* * *

Magnus stared at Jace, waiting patiently for the Shadowhunter to explain why he'd dragged him away from his work. The warlock had noticed some kind of drama unfolding around him in those past few hours, but he'd been too busy to pay much attention to it.

"Lydia found out that we have the Cup," Izzy began. "And now we need to get it somewhere safe before the Clave can get their hands on it. Alec's hidden it in a safe, but we can't open it without his stele. We need to act quickly. The Cup needs to be somewhere secure and out of the Clave's reach before we can help Meliorn."

"They're taking him to a holding cell," Jace said. "And a guard unit will transport him to the Silent Brothers. They think he's hiding information. I tried to talk them out of it, but Alec just said that he doesn't have a choice.'" Jace began to circle Magnus. "And neither do we."

Magnus sucked in a breath. "Let me get this straight. You need Alec's stele to open the safe, and you want  _me_ to steal it from him?"

Jace came a stop in front of him. "We prefer the word 'borrow.'"

"Without his knowledge," Izzy added.

Steal from Alec? Magnus couldn't do that. Not when he was trying to woo the man.

"No. No can do," Magnus said and began to walk away. "Not happening."

"Magnus." Jace reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. At Magnus' glare, Jace dropped his hand, but he continued, "Ever since Alec found out our parents were in the Circle, he's been... messed up. He can't see the big picture."

"If the Clave is willing to subject Meliorn to the Silent Brothers, if they're willing to go this far… what do you think will happen if they get the Cup?" Izzy questioned. "This affects everyone."

"Help us get into that safe," Jace urged. "Help us stop this."

Magnus drew in a deep breath. On one hand, he had to admit that they were right. On the other hand, they were asking for a  _lot_. He shot them both pointed looks.

"You're both going to owe me," he began, crossing his arms. "I'm talking 14th century. Gold, rubies... definitely diamonds. And Alec can never know."

"That's a given," Jace concurred.

Magnus eyed Jace closely. "If we're going to do this… there's no turning back."

Jace and Izzy shared a look, but ultimately, there really wasn't any other option.

* * *

Magnus crept up to Alec's door and checked to make sure the coast was clear. He then cast a one-way window spell on the wall so he could see what was going on inside.

Alec was tending to his forsaken wound, and Magnus hesitated, feeling even worse about what he was going to do.

Resigned, he waited until Alec turned away to teleport the stele to Jace. Then, he pulled out his phone and waited for Jace's text.

As soon as he got it, he teleported the stele back in place, just in time for Alec to grab his jacket and pull it on. Magnus quickly tucked his phone away and vanished the one-way window. He then pressed his fingers against the wall, as though in examination.

Alec opened the door then, stepping out as he pulled on his jacket.

"All done for today," Magnus declared and gave a nervous chuckle. He turned to glance at Alec. "Place is secure." He glanced at his rings as he began walking down the corridor, Alec followed at his side. "Not bad for a day's work," Magnus continued. "I thought I'd see how you were doing."

Alec stopped and turned to face Magnus. "I meant to thank you for your advice," he said. Magnus raised a brow, silently requesting that he elaborate. "The whole... 'follow your heart' thing," Alec explained.

"Oh, well, what can I say?" Magnus asked with a pleased smile. "I have a deep understanding of the human psyche. At least, that's what Freud always said."

Alec paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm getting married."

"Whoa!" Magnus exclaimed with an unsure chuckle. "That's a tad sudden, isn't it? I mean, we should at least go to dinner first–"

Magnus had begun to back away, but suddenly Alec reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. He let go and said, "No, Magnus, family is everything to me. You have to know that."

"I get it," Magnus said. "You're part of a 'Don't ask, don't tell' culture," he parroted in a teasing tone. "I'm fine with it. You're a traditional guy."

"Yeah, I am," Alec agreed. "That's why I proposed to Lydia."

"That's…" Magnus trailed off with a confused frown. "Interesting."

Alec stammered out a response, "It makes sense. It's a solid partnership. For both of us."

"'Solid partnership,'" Magnus quoted back to the Shadowhunter. The warlock laughed, stuck between a mix of shock and disbelief. "That's... hot."

Alec averted his gaze, and Magnus sighed. "Well, okay, then. Congratulations. Marriage is a wonderful institution." He paused. "...Not that I would know." He drew a breath, and inclined his head. "Goodbye, Alexander."

As Magnus walked away, he wondered how things had managed to go wrong so quickly.

* * *

Jace, Izzy and Luke waited outside Hotel Dumort for Jonas and Simon. As soon as Jonas emerged, Jace sighed in relief. "It's good to see that you're not dead," he commented as the auburn haired Shadowhunter approached.

"Sorry to disappoint," Jonas replied in a drawl.

Jace clapped the man on the shoulder and commented, "So this is your safe hideout, huh?"

Jonas shrugged. "At least they have wi-fi."

"Can we please focus on the matter at hand?" Izzy interrupted. "Unless no one here cares that the Clave is planning on murdering Meliorn."

"What?" Simon said.

" _What_?" Jonas exclaimed at the same time.

"They think Meliorn has more information on Valentine and the attack than he's saying," Jace explained. "They're taking him to the Silent Brothers."

Jonas scowled. "Well there's no way that's happening on my watch."

Jace nodded, proud that the Shadowhunter had the same thoughts as they did. "That's the plan, Jonas. Rescue and recovery."

Izzy explained, "We get him from the guards, in and out, no one gets hurt."

"That sounds like a challenge," Jonas replied.

Luke frowned and said, "Without any backup?"

Jace shifted and glanced about the group. "Pretty much sums it up, yeah."

Jonas cocked his head. "What about Alec? Is he going to help?"

Jace glanced worriedly at Izzy before answering. "No. Not this time."

"Well that's dumb, let me call him."

Jonas pulled out his phone, and dialed. Jace was tempted to stop the man… but maybe he could convince Alec of the mistake he was making.

Maybe.

Jonas waited for a while, phone held to his ear, before he sighed. "Voicemail." He slipped his phone back into his pocket. "He'll call me back."

Jace wasn't so sure about that, but said nothing.

Jonas thought for a moment, and then said, "It won't be long before they escalate from harassing Seelies to bullying all of the Downworlders. If we want to stop this, we need help."

Luke agreed. "My pack will track the unit, create a distraction."

"I would suggest vampires, but…" Simon offered, then trailed off. "I doubt they'll cooperate."

"As much as I hate to agree with Simon," Jace began. "Vamps aren't exactly team players."

"So we just need to talk them into it? Too easy." Jonas smirked. "I've got this."

* * *

"Alright, Raph– Can I call you Raph?" Jonas asked.

"No," Raphael answered.

"Welp, nevermind then. Okay, look here Raphael, I've got a limited time offer for you." Jonas flourished his hands. "An alliance, with the Seelies…" He paused and looked pointedly to Luke.

Luke sighed, but said, "And the werewolves."

"Why should we believe you?" Raphael countered. "You killed our people. You violated our home–"

"You kidnapped a mundane, remember?" Jace cut in.

Simon raised a hand and waved it. "That was me."

"We're willing to put all of that behind us," Jonas said. "Camille was a craptastic leader, and I know you can do better." He eyed Raphael closely. "And as a leader, you should realise that we all need to work together to stop Valentine before he can fuck everything up. We also need to keep the Clave in check, and prevent them repeating the same mistakes they did in the past. We are a new generation of Shadowhunters, that believe everyone can be equal." Jonas grinned. "Now let's kick some discriminatory ass."

Raphael was silent for a moment, and then he said evenly, "This decision requires a consensus."

The vampires were silent for a moment, then Simon stepped forward. "I vote yes," he declared.

"Well, well, well," Raphael said, seeming amused. "Baby's first words."

Simon's gaze narrowed. "Don't make me regret them."

Raphael stared at Simon. "If our newest member pledges his loyalty to his new leader and joins our clan…" He turned to Jonas. "We'll all stand beside you."

Jonas quirked a brow at Raphael, but then turned to Simon.

Simon nodded. "I accept your deal."

Raphael processed this and then turned to the vampires surrounding him. None of them disagreed, and some even appeared supportive. Raphael looked to Jonas. "Then we're in."

* * *

Alec led the guard to the Downworlders' entrance for the City of Bones. Things had been uneventful, until they turned a corner and a werewolf growled at them.

Alec looked around, taking in the other pairs of glowing eyes surrounding them.

"This could be a trap," he said. The guards turned to him in question. "Secure the perimeter," Alec ordered, making a judgement call. At their hesitation, he insisted, "Do it now."

Half of the guard dispersed to do as told. Alec continued on with the rest of them, and as they neared the warehouse he reached out and took hold of the Seelie. "I'll take Meliorn inside," he declared. "Just stay here. Nobody gets through."

He hurried ahead, but paused and turned back when he heard a shout. Sure enough, all of his guards had disappeared.

"Not too late to turn back," Meliorn commented.

Alec pushed down the nerves bubbling inside of him and focused on the task ahead. "Quiet. I won't tell you again," he hushed Meliorn. They continued onwards and into the building.

They stepped up onto a platform and Alec traced a rune onto a pillar. The entrance to the City of Bones revealed itself immediately, a cement wall turning to dust and falling to the ground, opening up an ancient archway.

He eyed it closely for a moment, before taking a few steps forward, intent on getting this over with.

"Alec."

Alec froze at the sound of the familiar voice, and turned to see Jonas standing there. His heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. Jonas, the man who'd worked his way through all of Alec's walls, was with the other side— was trying to  _stop_  him.

Jonas' gaze flickered to something over Alec's shoulder. Alec turned to find Jace standing there, looking ready for a fight.

"You told me you were taking Jonas back to the Institute," Alec said. He glared at his parabatai. "You lied to me."

"I did what needed to be done," Jace replied in an even tone.

"Alec," Jonas called out. The auburn haired Shadowhunter raced forward, standing in front of Alec. "You have to realise that by doing this, the Clave is going to tear a rift between the Downworlders and Shadowhunters. Please, just let Meliorn go."

"I have my orders," Alec replied. He ignored any feelings that he felt for the Shadowhunter. This was a matter of the  _law_  and doing what was right. Alec couldn't let his emotions get in the way of that.

Besides, he was marrying Lydia. He couldn't feel anything for Jonas now, he couldn't.

...He  _couldn't_.

(But he did.)

"Orders?" Jonas scoffed. "That's a terrible excuse for kickstarting a war! Ignore your damn orders. They're stupid."

"See?" Alec cut in. "That's how little you know about being a Shadowhunter. You couldn't possibly understand–"

Jace interrupted him. Alec was the littlest bit relieved, because he hated putting that look of anguish on Jonas' face. "It's you that doesn't understand, Alec. Not this time."

Alec cocked his head at Jace. Deciding to just continue the mission, Alec grabbed Meliorn and started forward again.

"I'm really sorry," Meliorn apologised.

An instant later, though, Jace charged into Alec and the two of them fell to the ground. Jace straddled him, holding him down.

Jace shouted, "Jonas, Meliorn, go, now."

Alec heard them run off, and he tried to knock Jace off of him, but the man had too solid of a grip grip. "You always broke the rules, but never the law."

"I'm not breaking the law, I'm trying to save it." Jace glared at Alec. "And now you're getting married, Alec? You're making a mistake."

"Oh, am I? Okay. Why doesn't the legend, Jace Wayland, tell us what exactly I'm doing wrong?"

"It's about me!" Jace shouted. "It's about me, it's about Jonas. It's about your feelings. It's because you're–"

Alec cut Jace off by punching him in the side of his face. Jace fell off of Alec, and they got both to their feet. They traded blows for a while, and then Alec managed to catch Jace's arm. He threw the man down onto the ground and knelt over him.

Alec got in a few good punches before Jace kicked him, sending him flying against the wall. They brawled again, Alec having a clear advantage as he blocked all of Jace's attacks and peppered him with punches and elbows to the man's face.

He managed to get a grip on the blonde, and he threw him to the ground, swiftly pulling out his seraph blade and holding it against Jace's throat.

They stared at each other, Jace appeared desperate. "Do it." Jace strained against the blade and shouted, "Do it!"

Jace panted, gasping for air. When Alec didn't move, the blonde exclaimed in a stricken voice, "I don't wanna be alive if we're on different sides, Alec."

Alec stared at his parabatai, and realisation hit him like a punch to the gut. He fell backwards, sitting and staring blankly at the middle distance in front of him.

Jace got to his feet and stood over Alec, gasping for air. "Come with me," Jace said. "We'll fight Valentine the right way… together."

Alec couldn't meet his parabatai's gaze. "If we do that…" he began. "We'll be considered traitors like Mom and Dad."

"I'm begging you," Jace said, and continued, "my parabatai... my brother. Please, Alec, come with me."

Alec glanced up at Jace, meeting the man's gaze. He considered the offer for just a moment, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. Even if it meant fighting against Jace.  _Even if it meant fighting against Jonas_.

"No," Alec said.

Jace's expression turned stricken.

The blonde looked away for a moment, eyes swelling with unshed tears. Then, without saying another word, he turned and left.

* * *

After the drama with Alec had gone down, Jace and Jonas reconvened with Meliorn. They approached him as he was catching up with Izzy. In an… intimate way.

As they neared, Jonas cleared his throat.

"I hate to break up this reunion, Izzy," Jace interrupted. "But we have to go.

The two pulled apart.

"You're in good hands," Izzy told Meliorn. Then she looked at Jace and Jonas. "I need to get back to the Institute, see what hell has broken loose. Try and talk some sense into Alec." She sighed. "Take care of him."

"Nah, we're going to let him die," Jonas replied.

Izzy rolled her eyes and kissed Meliorn one last time before heading off.

Meliorn watched her go, and then turned to Jonas. "Isabelle told me it was your idea to rally the Downworlders. That you spearheaded my rescue."

Jonas quirked a brow in intrigue. "That's funny, because I would say that Izzy did most of the work."

"He's being modest." Jace smiled softly at Jonas. "You're a Shadowhunter now."

Jonas returned Jace's smile, though he seemed a bit embarrassed by Jace's compliment.

"I've been surprised by more than one Shadowhunter tonight," Meliorn told Jonas. "You risked everything to unite us."

"Right after you tried to sell him out," Jace cut in.

Meliorn ducked his gaze. "Not my finest moment." He looked up and focused on Jonas. "Which is why I'm offering you a gift… for your sacrifice. If you're ready… I can help you find your father."

"If I'm ready?" Jonas grinned. "I shall accept your challenge, Meliorn."

Jace stared at Jonas. "I don't think that was meant as a challenge, Jonas."

Jonas narrowed his gaze at Jace. "Are you implying that you don't think I can beat his challenge?"

"No– I– You–" Jace stammered for a moment, then gave up. "Nevermind. Let's just go."

Meliorn seemed concerned by the exchange that'd just happened.

Jace kind of felt bad for the guy.

Kind of.

* * *

"Welcome to the Seelie Glade, the remotest edges of it."

Jonas looked around in awe. "This was never mentioned on Tripadvisor."

"That's probably because they never found the way in here," Jace said. "Even though there are entrances all through the mundane world."

"You just have to know where to look," Meliorn added.

"Not that I'm complaining," Jonas began. "But why are we here? How does this help us find Valentine?"

Meliorn grinned. "Your necklace, it's a Portal shard."

"Tell us something we don't know," Jace replied.

"How does it work?" Meliorn asked.

Jonas considered his question. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. It gives me visions of people, though."

"I'm curious, Shadowhunter, who knows so much about Portals, did you never wonder why this Portal shard doesn't behave the way normal Portals do?" Meliorn asked Jace.

Jonas shot a confused look at Jace.

"Normal Portals can only take you to places you've been," Jace explained to Jonas. Then he turned to Meliorn. "I guess I never really thought about it."

"I see Isabelle is the smart one in the family," Meliorn commented. Jonas snorted in amusement, nodding his head, then ducked his gaze when Jace shot him an offended look. Meliorn smiled and continued, "Your Portal shard works the way it does because it's a piece of a Portal from another dimension."

Jonas nodded. "That sounds cool."

Jace crossed his arms, suspicious of what Meliorn was implying. "You're saying there's a Portal in some other universe that can take us to anyone if we just think of them?"

"If you can find the only Portal still standing in that dimension… it will take you to your father," Meliorn told Jonas and then continued leading the way.

The two Shadowhunters followed, and soon the forest opened up a bit more and the ground evened out. "These trees are where the alternate dimensions intersect the Seelie realm."

Meliorn pointed at two trees that had vines connecting them in an archway shape. "How is it possible that the Clave doesn't know about your dimensional doorways?" Jace questioned.

"They are our most guarded secret. We are their protectors. Only Seelies know of their existence."

"So are you going to have to kill us now that we know?" Jonas questioned.

"No," Meliorn denied, sounding somewhat offended. "I'm telling you because I owe you a life debt… and I don't like being indebted to anyone."

They came to a stop in front of the trees, and Jonas asked, "How bad would it be–"

Meliorn finished for him. "If the Seelie Queen finds out I've shared this with you? I could be executed."

"Well," Jace began, "We'll be extra careful then."

"There is no 'we' in this scenario." Meliorn nodded his head to Jonas. "Only Jonas goes in to find the Portal. My debt is to him."

Jace glared at him. "You've given us no reason to trust you, Seelie."

Jonas pursed his lips. "Well he did kind of risk execution by bringing us here…"

Jace shot the Shadowhunter a look, but didn't say anything else.

Meliorn took that as his cue. He stepped forward and began gesturing his hands about, commanding the vines to move. "This will establish a connection to the other dimension," the Seelie explained.

"Is everything upside down in that dimension or is it like this one?" Jonas asked.

"It is…" Meliorn trailed off, then continued, "But it isn't."

Jace sighed. "Could you be more vague?"

"It is an alternate timeline, in a sense." Meliorn continued moving his hands, and slowly something began to form between the two trees. "There, Shadowhunters and Demons no longer exist."

Jace blinked, stunned by his words. "What?"

"And Downworlders have conformed to the mundane way of life to avoid detection," Meliorn finished as though Jace hadn't interrupted.

"Where'd the Shadowhunters go?" Jonas asked.

"Their services were no longer required, because they won the war against the demons, centuries ago. Once they sealed the rifts between their worlds… their culture faded away." Meliorn paused, and then explained, "Once you arrive in the alternate dimension, you will assume the body of the Jonas in that world. You will think and feel just like him."

The Seelie's words seemed to trouble Jonas. Jace looked to the Shadowhunter in concern.

"Will I still be me, though?" Jonas asked. "Will I still want to find the Portal?"

"There's a catch," Jace realised. "With Seelies, there's always a catch."

"Your alternate self could consume you if you let it," Meliorn said.

"That sounds fun," Jonas said in a drawl. "Let's do that."

Meliorn exhaled roughly as he strained to establish the connection between the two dimensions. "Focus on the differences between that world and ours," he told Jonas. "Find something or someone to keep you grounded to this one."

Jonas shrugged. "Sounds good enough to me."

"It will be more difficult than you think," Meliorn countered. "If you don't hurry, you could cease to be this world's Jonas."

Jonas' eyes went wide as the realisation hit him. "Then I won't be able to come back," he said.

Meliorn nodded.

Jace turned to Jonas. "You're going to be fine," he assured the man.

Jonas smirked, appearing resigned to whatever fate he was about to endure. "Oh, yeah, sure,  _totally_."

Jace rolled his eyes and wondered why he'd even bothered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the next two chapters are some of my favorites! I've put a bit of a pin on the alternate world, and I really hope you guys will like it!  
> Any ideas about What the AU world is gonna be like? I'd love to hear them!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note for this chapter: I know nothing about tarot cards. I got all the meanings for good old google! Please let me know if I'm wrong!

When it was time for Jonas to leave, the auburn haired Shadowhunter dragged Jace away to talk with him. He pulled out the tarot card storing the Cup and handed it to Jace.

"It'll be safer with you," he explained. "Especially if I don't return.

"You're coming back," Jace stated, sure of the fact.

Jonas scoffed. "Because you know  _so much_  about interdimensional travel."

Jace shrugged, kind of offended that the man thought so lowly of his abilities. "Little bit."

Jonas raised a brow in speculation. "Mhmm, I'm totally convinced.

"It's time."

They both turned as Meliorn spoke. Jonas nodded at Jace and then stepped forward. "Here's the deal, Mel– Can I call you Mel?" Jonas continued without giving Meliorn a chance to respond, probably realising his mistake with Raphael that happened earlier. "A life debt requires that you make sure I don't die. I will try and find this alternate Portal, but if I do, I can't take on Valentine alone."

"He'll need backup," Jace said.

Meliorn considered their words for a moment, before sighing and saying, "If you find the Portal, you may come back for him. Shadowhunters need Seelie permission to go through. Only Demons can pass through unaided."

Satisfied, Jace watched in silence as Meliorn turned back to his work. He chanted for a moment, and then the doors to the rift opened and the Seelie turned and nodded at Jonas.

Jonas sucked in a sharp breath, then turned to Jace and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't die while I'm gone," Jonas said.

Jace nodded. "Same to you."

The auburn haired Shadowhunter smiled, and then walked into the rift without looking back.

* * *

Alec groaned when he felt Jonas shift in the bed next to him.

"Not yet," he mumbled, turning his face into his pillow. "Five more minutes."

There was a pause, and Alec felt relieved because maybe Jonas was going back to sleep.

"Alec?" Jonas exclaimed, startling Alec and causing the man to sit up.

Alec blinked and rubbed at his eyes to clear his vision. As it focused, he took in Jonas' shocked expression and the embarrassed flush to his cheeks. "Jonas?" Alec asked, not sure exactly what was going on. He hazarded a guess. "Does Gnash want me to leave the room?"

"No– I mean,  _wait_ , you know about Gnash?" Jonas asked.

Then, Jonas froze, his eyes going wide as he took in Alec's undressed state. "Are you  _naked_?" he blurted, sounding scandalised.

"Well, yeah," Alec replied. He frowned at his boyfriend in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Uh… Yes?" Jonas answered, but didn't sound so sure about it. "If you want the specifics, I kind of have a headache but–"

"You get them all the time," Alec finished for him. Jonas' eyes widened even further in surprise. "I know. It's okay, I picked up some more Tylenol 'cause we ran out. Want me to grab you some?"

Jonas just nodded dazedly in reply. Alec licked his lips, wondering if he should press the matter further or not. In the end, he figured it was best to deal with his boyfriend's headache first before peppering him with questions.

Alec climbed out of bed and headed for the ensuite. There was a panicked squeak and Alec glanced back to see that Jonas had covered his eyes with his hands.

"What is it?" Alec asked.

"Nothing… I– Er." Jonas peeked out from between his fingers, meeting Alec's gaze. "Could you put some clothes on?"

Alec raised a brow. "Sure," he replied, a little confused as to what was going on. He headed into the bathroom, grabbing a pair of boxers before he went. Once he tugged them on, Alec opened the mirror cabinet and grabbed the Tylenol. He then filled a glass with water and headed back into the bedroom.

Jonas had dragged the sheets up to cover himself fully, and his gaze flickered hesitant to Alec before staring resolutely at his clasped hands.

"Here you go," Alec said and offered the glass of water to the man.

His boyfriend looked up, gaze skirting quickly across Alec's bare chest. His bright green eyes searched Alec's face. "Thanks," Jonas said and held out his hand.

Alec handed over the water, and then the Tylenol.

He admired the long line of his boyfriend's neck as Jonas tipped his head back, swallowing the two tablets with a long drag of water.

Unable to resist, Alec leaned forward and pressed his lips to the man's neck, just under the line of his jaw.

As soon as his lips touched Jonas' skin, the man jolted and leaned back from Alec.

"Okay– Um." Jonas slipped out of the bed, leaving the glass on the side table as he looked about the room frantically. "This was… nice. Thanks for the drugs. I'm gonna– I need to pee."

He then dashed into the ensuite and slammed the door shut before Alec had a chance to respond.

Concerned by his boyfriend's behaviour, Alec got to his feet and padded over to the bathroom. He knocked lightly on the door. "Are you alright, J?" he asked. "I'm sorry if the kiss was too much."

Jonas' response came in a rush. "Er– It wasn't– I mean- Just give me a minute!"

Alec hesitated. "Okay," he replied. He trusted that Jonas would tell him if there was anything wrong. "Don't forget that we're meeting up for coffee with Clary, Simon and my sister. So we can grab breakfast there? Otherwise I'm sure I can burn some toast for you."

There was an amused snort, that sounded a bit surprised, as though Alec's last words had caught the man off guard. "I– Uh, yeah. Sounds good."

Alec lifted a brow, even though Jonas couldn't see it. "The coffee or the burnt toast?"

"Don't be an ass," came Jonas' reply.

Alec chuckled and walked off to grab his clothes for the day. He'd use the spare bathroom to get ready. It sounded like Jonas needed some space.

He picked out a blue polo and khaki slacks before stepping out into the hall and ducking into the spare bathroom. Alec switched on the shower and waited a few moments for it to heat up before heading inside.

For longer than what was considered necessary, Alec enjoyed the warm spray and how it soothed his aching muscles. Memories of the previous night drifted leisurely through his mind, and Alec savored them for a few long moments. Once he was done, he stepped out and dried himself off, getting ready at a leisurely pace.

"Jonas?" he called as he left the bathroom. When he didn't receive a response, he checked in the bedroom to find it empty and the ensuite door wide open. Frowning to himself, Alec went and checked Jonas' study, which he found was also empty.

He headed out into the living room and finally found Jonas. The man was dressed in his usual attire, with a well-worn purple henley (that Alec had bought him, it brought out the green in his eyes) and tight jeans. He stood, looking at the photo frames hanging on the wall. Off to the side, the television was on, a commercial for psychic readings by Magnus Bane finishing as Alec entered. (That ad had been playing a lot lately. When Owl had first seen it, he'd gushed about how cute the Bane guy was. Alec had only been a little jealous, but not really 'cause he'd kind of had to agree.)

Alec smiled fondly at his boyfriend. Content that he could leave the man alone for a bit longer, Alec went to go style his hair in their bathroom.

After a few minutes, Jonas appeared in the doorway and stared at Alec.

"What's up?" Alec asked, glancing at the auburn haired man.

"Nothing," Jonas said. Then his lips pushed out in that cute way they did when he was thinking. "You mentioned… Gnash before."

"Yeah." Alec paused to wash the styling gel off of his hands, as he was finished perfecting his hair. He then turned to Jonas. "Because remember last month? When that happened and she didn't feel comfortable with me in the bed with her?"

Normally Gnash didn't mind the whole sharing a bed thing (they were good enough friends to not be bothered by it anymore), but sometimes she got Alec to leave and give her some space.

"Um, yeah. Sure." Jonas hesitated, and then said, "Not Hoot? Or Joey?"

"You know that Hoot isn't really phased by any of that," Alec said. "And I'm not going to be butt-naked in bed with you if Joey's close. We're always careful about that."

Jonas' mouth had slowly dropped open as Alec spoke. He snapped it shut when Alec finished and shook his head, as though in disbelief. "So… You know about my DID?"

"I know about your DID," Alec stated, and began to grow concerned. "Do you want to just stay in today? I can cancel our plans and we can order in chinese and binge Stranger Things."

Jonas shook his head. "No– No, I've got stuff to do. I'm just… having more memory blanks than usual."

"Do you want your music?" Alec asked, eager to ease his boyfriend's struggles. "Or I can put on Ratatouille, that helps."

Jonas' eyes went wide again, and to Alec's utter confusion, they began to well with tears. "That's so… That's so nice of you, Alec."

"I have my moments," Alec replied, unsure how to proceed with the situation. He decided to just roll with it as per normal. "But don't tell anyone. I've gotta keep up my reputation."

Jonas sniffled and averted his gaze. "Yeah, 'course."

"Hey," Alec said, softly. He walked forward and reached out, placing his hands on Jonas' shoulders. He rubbed the man's shoulders with his thumbs, waiting until Jonas met his gaze with watery eyes. Alec smiled warmly at the man, and then slowly (slowly,  _slowly_ ) bent his head down and pressed his lips against the Jonas'.

Jonas sighed as he melted into the kiss, and Alec smiled, lips parting. He held their kiss for a moment longer, giving Jonas all of  _him_ , all of his understanding and patience and empathy and all of his affection.

Then he pulled back to catch his breath, preparing to go in for another kiss, perhaps even nibble at Jonas' plump bottom lip.

"We should–" Jonas began, breathless, then cut off and started again. "We should get going," he said, stepping back from Alec.

"Okay," Alec said. He stepped passed Jonas, throwing over his shoulder absently, "I'll drive."

"Nope!" Jonas yelped, hurrying to his side. "I feel like driving. I'll drive."

Alec shrugged. "All right, but we're taking my car. I got my hair perfect today and I'm not letting it get ruined because of the unhealthy obsession you have with your bike."

"It's not unhealthy," Jonas argued.

"You wash it almost every day and call it 'Baby'."

"Baby," Jonas called out in the direction of the garage. "Alec is being mean to me!"

"Don't bring her into this," Alec scolded.

Jonas turned to Alec and stuck out his tongue. Offended, Alec stepped out the door first and shut it in his boyfriend's face. "Alec!" Jonas complained, voice sounding muffled from the door between them.

Alec cackled and hurried away as Jonas rushed out, chasing him with vengeance. Racing to his car, Alec dodged Jonas' grabbing hands and dived for his car, a modest Toyota corolla. He ripped the door open and climbed inside.

"No fair," Jonas bemoaned when Alec locked the door.

Alec smirked. "I win."

"Okay, okay," Jonas conceded. "Let me in the car, you buttface."

"Buttface?"

"Would you prefer dollophead?"

Alec shot him a look. "Now I'm just concerned."

Jonas huffed and walked around to the driver side door. Alec relented and unlocked the car.

"Next time you want to be an ass, make time for it." Jonas sighed and glanced at the dashboard clock. "We're going to be late."

Alec handed his boyfriend the keys and sat back to relax. "We're always late."

"Exactly," Jonas replied. He plugged the keys into the ignition and started the car.

* * *

"...No you promised I could pick out your clothes tonight," Alec argued.

"I know I did, and I'm not saying that, I'm saying I want to pick out  _your_  clothes."

Alec gaped at his boyfriend. "No way."

"What?" Jonas said, sounding offended.

Alec glared at the man. "I have had my outfit picked out for  _two months_. Two months!"

"Ugh, fine." Jonas glanced over from where he'd been watching the road. "I swear if you put me in a gold tux–"

"I wouldn't put you in a gold tux." Alec paused, reconsidering. "Well, at least not for tonight's party."

Jonas seemed only partly relieved by this.

They pulled into the parking lot, and Alec climbed out and walked around to the other side of the car. He pulled Jonas' door open. "Here you are, sir," Alec said with a smirk.

"Why thank you," Jonas said. He got out of the car and waited for Alec to shut the door. Jonas locked it, and then smiled as Alec made to leave. "Don't you want a tip?" he asked.

"Oh, how could I forget."

Alec leaned down, and Jonas gave him a chaste kiss before they parted. Excessive PDA wasn't really their thing. He walked alongside Jonas as they headed to the coffee van. Izzy was already sitting down at a table, and the two of them walked over to her.

"Hey, Izzy," Jonas greeted first. He hugged her side and then sat down.

Alec shot his sister a bemused look and said, "Sorry we're late."

"No you're not," Izzy replied. She smiled indulgently and waited until he sat down to continue. "We're waiting for Simon and Clary to arrive, they texted– Is that new?"

Alec looked to find his sister was staring at a necklace that Jonas was wearing. It wasn't a necklace he'd seen Jonas wear before. He frowned and wondered how he hadn't noticed it earlier.

Jonas stared at it, and almost reverently, reached up and touched it. He blinked a few times, shaking his head, and then focused on Izzy. "Yes, I got it a couple days ago."

"Oh, it goes with the outfit Alec picked out for you." Izzy glanced at Alec. "He's still getting you ready, right?"

Jonas blinked, cocked his head. "Ready for what?"

Alec leaned forward, happy to remind his boyfriend of what was going on. It was something he had to do often enough, and he didn't mind all that much. "The anniversary party for the Institute. I have poured my heart and soul into planning it. And the theme. Is. Amazing," Alec made sure to enunciate those last words clearly to get his point across.

Jonas raised a single, arched brow. Then he cleared his throat and said to Alec seriously, "If you planned it, I'm sure it will be."

Alec smirked, feeling pleased that Jonas had such faith in him. Then he turned to his sister. "But, seriously, what is with this guy and the Mad Hatter?"

"Visionaries are quirky crazy," Izzy explained. "You don't get Four-D Internet tech thinking inside the box.

Alec narrowed his gaze at his sister. "I'm beginning to wonder if you don't have a thing for your boss."

Izzy chuckled, and then said in a dreamy tone, "Like, if Clary's dad would ever go for me."

"Wait, Clary's dad?" Jonas asked, and then continued, "My dad?"

"Uh…" Izzy scoffed, faking a disgusted expression. "No, I'm totally kidding. I mean, I'm not crushing on your dad, right?"

As Izzy stammered out her response, Alec shook his head at Jonas in a 'don't believe a single word that comes out of her mouth' kind of signal. Jonas' lips twitched in amusement and he turned back to Izzy as she finished stuttering.

"No," Izzy said, finally.

"Yeah, what was I thinking? There's no way that could happen."

Jonas stared at Izzy, watching as she plugged in her earbuds. "Yeah. Mmm-hmm."

Simon and Clary arrived then, talking about a gig or something. Alec ignored them in favor of turning to Jonas and saying, "She's totally crushing on your dad."

"Ew," Jonas said. "How does that even work? I mean, he's like, twenty years older than her? Not to mention the fact that he's married."

"Her love knows no bounds," Alec replied.

Jonas chuckled, and there was a brightness to his eyes that Alec always enjoyed seeing.

Then, Jace showed up at their table.

"Morning guys," he greeted.

"Hey," Alec greeted.

He watched as Jonas looked up, saw the man's deep brown gaze widen in… shock? Then Jonas swallowed and told everyone, "I have to go."

"What?" Alec questioned.

Jonas glanced at Alec as he got up from the chair. "I'll be back later for you to get me ready for tonight. There's just something I have to do."

"I'm coming with you," Alec said and got to his feet away. He ignored the three sets of curious eyes on them, in favor of focusing on his boyfriend.

"No, Alec this is–"

There was no way Alec was going to leave Jonas alone all day when he was forgetting the simplest of things. Alec shook his head, reaching out to grip Jonas' hand. "I really don't think you should be alone right now."

Jonas seemed hesitant, but relented. "Fine."

They began to walk away, and Alec paused a moment to wish the others farewell before they hurried back to the car.

Jonas shot him a frustrated look when they reached the car. "God, you're such a pain in my ass."

Alec stared at him.

Jonas blinked, and then blushed a vivid shade of red before hopping into the car. "Shut up," he called out to Alec.

Alec smirked as he slid into the passenger seat. "I didn't say anything."

Jonas' response was him starting the car and tearing out of the parking lot at a startling speed.

...It had definitely been worth it.

* * *

Magnus Bane had been enjoying a quiet afternoon with his two cats, Church and Chairman Meow, when there was a knock on his door. None of his wards had activated to let him know that his visitor was a Downworlder. Magnus grinned as he figured that it was probably a customer.

He tidied up quickly before heading to the door.

He opened it with a flourish. "Welcome," he greeted with a broad smile, but faltered when he caught sight of the two men in front of him.

Both were absolutely stunning, like picture-perfect supermodels. The one on the left donned a head of shaggy, auburn hair and full, pink lips. The one on the right was taller, his body more defined and sporting a beautiful face that Magnus instantly looked away from.

But then he was stuck with the other man's face and oh dear God he was trapped. Magnus Bane, an immortal being, was going to die because of the presence of two drop-dead gorgeous men.

...Which really wasn't that bad of a way to go when he thought about it.

"Magnus?" the tall one asked, looking to his… friend? Boyfriend? (Something more?) "Why were you so desperate to see Magnus Bane?"

"I… Er…" Pink Lips trailed off. "Needed a reading?"

The tall one stared at Pink Lips incredulously. Pink Lips shrugged. They had a non-verbal conversation with only their gazes. Magnus was amused to watch the tall one as he gave in easily.

The two then looked at Magnus.

"Oh." Magnus swallowed. On one hand, imminent death by too much pretty. On the other hand, it was bad business to turn away customers. "Of course, come on in."

Magnus turned his back on them and walked over to his table.

He was a grown ass man, he could handle being stuck in the same room with two hot guys.

Besides, he'd been abstaining from a lot of things for quite a while.

What was just two more normal guys, in the grand scheme of things?

* * *

Before they started, his customers had introduced themselves. The tall one was Alec, Pink Lips was Jonas. Magnus invited Alec to sit down on the couch whilst he attended to Jonas.

"The Magician," Magnus read as he flipped the first card over. "You have the ability to achieve your dreams, even if you don't realize it yet."

Jonas nodded. Magnus glanced at Alec and found the man boredly tapping at his phone. He continued, flipping the next card. "Strength. You are faced with a challenge and it is time to call upon your inner strengths."

He glanced at Jonas, finding the man appearing thoughtful. "The Empress," he read the next card. "You should relax as everything is unfolding exactly as it should, just be yourself."

Before he could continue, one of his cats jumped onto the table with a loud meow. Jonas jumped, startled, and stared at the cat with wide eyes. "You don't have a cat."

"I have two," Magnus said. He smiled and picked up the cat that had jumped on the table. "Chairman Meow…" He put Chairman Meow down on the floor and looked to the cat sitting on the couch opposite Alec. "And Church."

Church growled lowly, and Alec flinched, looking up from his phone.

Jonas drew a deep breath and glanced at Alec, before turning to Magnus. "I'm not actually here for a reading," he said. "I know you're a Warlock, Magnus. I'm a Shadowhunter."

Magnus eyed Jonas closely, and then laughed. "There are no more Shadowhunters. Haven't been for hundreds of years."

"Want me to prove it?" Jonas asked. He got to his feet, and turned around, showing the back of his neck to Magnus.

And, whilst it was a rather lovely neck, there wasn't anything of interest to be seen. Well, at least, Shadowhunter-y interest. Magnus was certainly interested for… other reasons. But— No. He was abstaining!

...He was doomed, wasn't he?

Alec stood and moved to his side. "Jonas… what are you doing?" he questioned.

"I need his help," Jonas said and pointed at Magnus.

"All I see, Shadowhunter…" Magnus began, and averted his gaze. "Is you could use a serious tan."

"Ah crap, no runes." Jonas grumbled, looking disappointed.

"What are you talking about?" Alec asked Jonas, grabbing onto the man's shoulders.

"I'm not your Jonas," Jonas said, gently taking the man's hands off of him. "I'm from an alternate reality."

"If that were true," Magnus spoke up. "Without an anchor, you'd be assimilating into this world."

Jonas shot the Warlock a look. "Oh, really? I haven't noticed."

"Jonas… I think we should go home," Alec urged.

"I can't, Alec." Jonas turned back to Magnus. "In the dimension I'm from, we're still keeping demons in check. Something's happened recently, though, and now there's a much bigger threat than demons. Your magic is going to help me stop that threat."

"Magic? Demons?" Alec began to panic. "Jonas, is this is a prank? Did Izzy-"

"I can't help you," Magnus cut in, not particularly interested in what Alec had to say. "My magic's gone dormant."

Jonas crossed his arms, then said in a flat voice, "Oh no, all my hopes have been dashed. Let's give up and binge watch Parks and Recreation."

Magnus stared at him.

Jonas stared right back.

"Alright, that's it." Alec took Jonas' hand and gestured to the door. "We're leaving."

When Alec made to move, Jonas didn't budge.

"Let's go," Alec urged.

Jonas ignored him, turning to Magnus. "Do the thing," he said.

"What thing?"

"You know." Jonas began waving his hands about in a somewhat smooth motion. "Your magic thing."

Magnus stared at the man. "I do not look like that."

Jonas huffed. "Whatever, just do a bit of your thing so my apparent 'boyfriend'—"

"What do you mean  _apparent_?" Alec interrupted.

"Believes us," Jonas finished, ignoring Alec's interruption.

Magnus huffed. "I'm not just going to put on a show for your entertainment."

"Please," Jonas insisted. "Please, please, please, please,  _please, please_ –"

"Okay! Okay," Magnus relented. "Fine."

"You two are really starting to freak me out," Alec began to say. "If this is some kind of LARPing thing then…"

He trailed off as Magnus raised an open palm, drawing a small, weak flame of magic into his hand.

Alec gaped. "I– Um– I don't…"

"Show him some magic. Do that blue energy ball thing you do," Jonas suggested, sounding excited.

Magnus raised a single, arched brow in Jonas' direction. "How do you know about that?"

"I've seen you do it before," Jonas explained. "The other you from my dimension."

"Right…" Magnus said. He paused. "Are we… friends?"

Jonas blushed and averted his gaze.

"Oh my God." Alec shot a hurt look in Jonas' direction. "Are you cheating on me?"

"What?" Jonas exclaimed. "No! No, of course not–"

"He can't be cheating on you if it's in another dimension," Magnus explained. "Because this isn't  _your_  boyfriend, it's just the same man, from an alternate dimension, borrowing his body."

"Even if you're telling the truth, we're dating in your universe, right?" Alec asked, looking to Jonas. "So you're cheating on that me with  _me_ me." His gaze snapped to Magnus. "And him."

Jonas groaned. "I am so confused right now."

"I assure you, I have only just met Jonas today," Magnus told Alec.

Alec studied him closely. "So you say," Alec replied in a suspicious tone.

Magnus scowled and glared at the man, not liking the implication that he would involve himself with a taken man.

Alec glared right back, clearly jealous and being protective of his boyfriend.

"Guys," Jonas interrupted, stepping between them and ending their staring contest. "Even if I  _was_  dating my Alec, I'd be dating my Magnus too. We'd be in a polyamorous relationship."

Alec turned to Jonas with a confused expression. "Am I not enough for you? What did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong!" Jonas exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "Magnus just started flirting with us both at the same time" -Alec shot Magnus a murderous look, and Magnus held up his hands in surrender- "and it hasn't really been agreed upon but I think we'd work really well together? Like, the three of us, kicking ass and taking names and also smooching on the side."

Jonas blushed at his words, and offered the two men a sheepish look.

"This is ridiculous," Alec said. "And this Magnus guy sounds like a complete jerk."

Magnus directed a sharp glare at Alec, and threw a harmless spark of bright-blue magic at the man.

It was worth it to watch Alec shriek, stumble backwards, and land on his ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **So I have a question for you guys:** If you're up to date with season 2 (warning, slight spoilers) as you know malec is sorta going through a thing right now. My question is, with Jonas here the dynamic could completely change with a lot of the arguments in s2b (eg, 2x13, 2x17.) Do you want to see changes like that? (Eg no fight over the DNA hair testing thing) or would you rather just see how Jonas fits into the canon events? As I agree with the idea that sometimes, relationships need to face challenges to grow. I'm curious to see which you guys would prefer! And please weigh in on this if you have anything to say, I'd love to hear your opinion!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have 6 months before s3 begins to air: I'm p sure I'll be able to write the end of season 2 by then. I'm just curious whether I should post all of this fic before s3 starts airing or space it out so I can post when s3 is airing so that there's stuff for ya'll to read whilst waiting for the new ep each week. Thoughts? (I also need to consider whether I'll have to rewrite anything if s3 makes any changes: eg how 2x18 changed up 2x07. So I might only post up to say, 2x19ish just in case.)

Alec sat down on the couch with Jonas as Magnus got to work making… something. He wasn't sure whether he was totally on board with the whole 'Magnus Bane is a Warlock' thing, but the evidence was pretty irrefutable.

"So… an alternate universe?" Alec prompted, glancing at Jonas.

"Yep," Jonas replied, popping the 'p'.

"What's it like there?"

Jonas hesitated. "I don't know if you want to know."

"Of course I want to know." Alec stared at the man in disbelief. "This is important for you, and I want to understand so I can help."

Jonas didn't say anything.

Alec leaned back, giving the man some space. "Okay, start with something simple. You said we weren't dating in your universe?"

"Simple," Jonas scoffed. He explained anyway. "Alec and I did kiss. Well, I think he kissed Gnash once before he kissed me–"

"He kissed Gnash?"

"I know that he kissed someone and that  _someone_  wasn't all that happy about it."

Alec blinked. "Wow." He added, "I can't imagine doing that. Or even the… other me."

Jonas must've picked up on Alec's unvoiced question, because he said, "You're not too different than my Alec. I mean, besides the lack of runes and fashion sense… and also the fact that you're not afraid of people knowing you're gay."

"I'm not out in your universe?"

"No." Jonas sighed. "But that's not the main problem we're having. I'm okay to hide our relationship if need be, but right now we're fighting against each other in this stupid battle between right and not-so-right."

"I must hate that," Alec commiserated. He paused to clarify, "The other me."

Jonas looked up, meeting Alec's gaze. "You think so?"

"I'm sure of it," Alec insisted. "I hate it when we argue. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in an actual  _fight_ with you."

Jonas' lips twitched into a soft smile. "Thanks, Alec. That means a lot to me."

"Anytime," Alec replied. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I've got to ask, why did he kiss Gnash if he knows about your DID?"

Jonas paused. Then, finally he said, "He doesn't."

Alec cocked his head. He was surprised, but also not surprised. He could understand why Jonas might not have told other Alec. "You haven't told him?"

"I…" Jonas trailed off and tried again. "Other than the fact that we haven't spoken to each other in days, I just don't feel comfortable with the idea of telling him. I have no idea how he'll take it."

An amused smile stretched across Alec's face. Jonas glanced at the man in confusion. "You told me you had DID after our three-month anniversary," Alec explained. "I kind of already suspected something. You were so nervous."

When Jonas didn't ask him to stop, Alec continued. "I think I handled it well, but you had to explain things a few times for me to fully understand. There's still a lot that confuses me, but we figured out early on that communication was key. If I ever messed up, you'd tell me and help me do better. When I had questions, I asked you them. Sometimes... we talk about it for hours."

"That's a cute story," Jonas commented. "But I don't quite get what you're trying to tell me."

"If your Alec is anything like me," Alec said. "Then, as long as you're patient with him, he will understand and support you. You just have to tell him."

"Oh," Jonas said, as he figured it out. Then, he sighed, appearing wistful. "I hope so."

Alec stared at Jonas and then shifted closer to the man, wrapping an arm around him. After a moment's deliberation, Jonas leant against Alec's side and rested his head on the man's shoulder. His gaze flickered over to where Magnus Bane was mixing ingredients.

"What do you think of him?" Jonas asked Alec, something secretive to his tone.

"He seems okay so far," Alec said. "A tad eccentric, but there's nothing wrong with that."

Jonas swallowed and admitted, "Magnus is the only one that knows I have DID in the other 'verse."

Alec frowned at Jonas. "Really?"

"Well, of the people I currently interact with, yes." Jonas ducked his gaze. "I was staying with a friend of mine for a few years. He and his father knew, they've moved away now, but we talk online sometimes."

"Oh." Alec nodded. "I see. That's good you keep in contact."

"Yeah." Jonas smiled and glanced over at Magnus, something shifting in his gaze. "It feels nice to have someone I can confide in."

Alec studied the man's face, taking in the softening of Jonas' features and the slightly wistful look to his gaze. "You like him," he stated.

"What?" Jonas turned to Alec, ears pinking adorably. "No– No way, I've only had like, two meetings with the guy."

Alec smirked. "J, I asked you out after our first conversation."

"Well maybe things are different in this universe," Jonas replied stubbornly.

Alec opened his mouth to respond, but then his phone chimed. He pulled it out and cursed when he read the reminder alert of the things he had to do before the party tonight.

"I've gotta go," he said. He stood and glanced at Jonas. "I'll text you when I need you to come home so I can get you ready." He paused. Even if all this alternate dimension stuff explained Jonas' weird behaviour, Alec had to check. "Are you going to be okay?"

Jonas nodded. "Yeah." He grinned. "Thanks for looking out for me."

"You'd do the same for me," Alec said. He then dug into his pocket and pulled out the car keys, handing them to Jonas. "I'll take a cab. Have fun doing your magic stuff, and don't hesitate to call me if you need  _anything_."

Jonas nodded his head, and averted his gaze, appearing embarrassed by Alec's concern. Alec smirked to himself and passed Magnus on the way out. "If anything happens to him…" Alec whispered a warning to the Warlock.

"Trust me," Magnus began. "I have no intention of harming a single hair on his pretty head."

Alec quirked a brow at the man, but decided against pressing the issue.

He left the apartment, pushing thoughts of Warlocks and Demons and Shadowhunters out of his mind before he gave himself a headache.

* * *

Magnus sighed as he poured the mixture into a teacup. "This better work," he said and chugged it down.

Jonas looked over from where he'd been perusing the Book of the White. "What's it supposed to do?"

Magnus grimaced and gagged at the taste of it. "Hopefully… kick-start my magic."

Jonas raised a single, arched brow in inquiry.

Magnus paused. "Give it a minute?"

Jonas shrugged and turned back to the book. Magnus glared at the tea cup and put it down, cradling his stomach with one arm as he went and approached Jonas. "That book is very precious. Warlock spells preserved in all their grandeur."

"Cool," Jonas replied.

After a moment, Magnus scrunched up his nose and threw his hands up in frustration. "This isn't working. This is the longest I've ever abstained." The Warlock walked back over to the tea cup and examined it with a sigh. He thought of Alec and Jonas and muttered, "From a lot of things."

"How about we work you back up from ground zero?" Jonas asked and looked about the room. He pointed at a candle. "Move that."

Magnus eyed the man for a moment, before resigning himself to just giving it a go. He reached out with both hands and willed his magic to work.

He pushed himself to his limits, but when the candle didn't budge he cut off with magic with a grunt and exhaled roughly in frustration.

"Maybe you should try it again with a bit more pizazz."

Jonas then attempted another imitation of what Magnus looked like when doing magic. He flapped his arms about in a seemingly random pattern.

"No," Magnus said. "Just… No."

Jonas inclined his head. "I know the truth can be hard to hear—"

Magnus shot a glare at the man, silencing him. The Warlock then turned to try and move the candle again. He gave it his best, but once more his attempt failed.

Frustrated, Magnus smacked his hands together with an aggravated huff.

Jonas began, "Look, we only have to locate the Portal–"

"Even if my magic was working," Magnus interrupted the man. "I'd still need an energy signature of some kind to track it."

Jonas' mouth dropped open in an 'o' shape. He looked down at his chest and tugged on his necklace, freeing the purple shard that had rested there. He held it up and said, "Will this work?"

Magnus gaped at it, and drifted towards the other man, awed by the sight of the Portal shard that belonged in his dimension. He reached out and took hold of it.

Jonas gasped and jumped as Magnus' fingers made contact with the shard. Magnus grinned and said, "Oh. Now that's what I'm talking about. We have lift off."

He drew in a deep breath and concentrated on the Portal shard.

"The energy is very faint. It's been dormant for a long time." Magnus paused and looked up to smile at Jonas. "Like me." Jonas offered a thumbs up, and Magnus continued, "Let's see if we can wake it up."

He inhaled deeply and focused once more, the Portal shard pulsing between their grasp.

"I see it," Magnus gasped out. "It's in a subbasement of… Fort Knox."

Jonas paused. "Well that definitely sounds like a challenge. You're talking about  _the_  Fort Knox?"

"No, but it might as well be." Magnus winced. "The Institute."

"And that's bad because…?"

Magnus explained, "High tech, high security. Impossible to get into."

Jonas' lips stretched into a smug smile. "And hosting an anniversary party tonight that Alec planned."

Magnus eyed Jonas, realising what that meant. They could get into the Institute.

Jonas' cell phone chimed, and he glanced at the screen with a groan.

"It's time for me to go." Jonas tucked his phone away and glanced up at Magnus. "Meet me tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Institute." He paused and grabbed the Portal shard from Magnus' outstretched fingers. "Dress to impress," he told Magnus, and hurried off before the Warlock could respond.

* * *

Magnus texted Jonas when he arrived at the Institute, but received no response.

He didn't think about it too much. Instead, he headed inside to find Jonas. He was stopped by a bouncer that asked for his name. "I'm on the list. Magnus Bane," he said.

The bouncer scanned through his clipboard, then shook his head.

"Check it again," Magnus said. "I told you, I'm on the list."

"You're not here," the bouncer denied.

Suddenly, Magnus looked up as he noticed someone approaching.

Alec smirked at him as he approached, looking gorgeous with his hair styled just-right and wearing a form-fitting suit in a color that accentuated the mirage of beautiful colors in his eyes.

"What seems to be the problem?" Alec asked, gaze not leaving Magnus' face.

"This one wants to crash the party," the bouncer explained.

Alec paused, and then appeared to grow even more amused. "I'll be responsible for this one," he said. "Come on in."

Alec then turned and walked off. Magnus sucked in a deep breath, relieved that the disaster was averted. He glanced at the bouncer, entertained by the man's shocked expression before he hurried after Alec.

When he reached the man, Alec had grabbed two teacups off of a platter. He offered one to Magnus. The warlock took it with a confused expression. "To us," Alec toasted.

He clinked their teacups, and Magnus mimed taking a drink whilst he looked around for Jonas.

"What are you doing here?" Alec asked.

"I'm here for Jonas," Magnus explained. He looked back to Alec. "Where is he?"

"My sister dragged him off for a dance."

Magnus nodded. "Right." He finally spotted the auburn haired man off in the corner, partaking in a goofy dance with a pretty brunette. He glanced back at Alec. "Thanks, but… I gotta go."

Magnus hurried off, skirting through the crowd to reach Jonas.

When he finally did, Jonas was off on his own, and the brunette was in the corner dancing with a boy Magnus didn't recognise.

"Come on," Magnus said as he took hold of Jonas' elbow. "Let's go."

Jonas fought against his grasp. "Who are you?" he asked, bright green eyes wide with confusion.

Magnus froze, and quickly tried to remind the man, "Jonas, it's me, Magnus."

"Do I know you?" Jonas questioned.

"Focus," Magnus urged.

Jonas raised his brows at the Warlock, seeming incredulous.

Magnus huffed and held out his hand. He snapped his thumb and forefinger, summoning the holographic image of Chairman Meow into his open palm.

"Woah," Jonas muttered, smiling. "Cool trick."

Magnus frowned and tried again, this time summoning an image of Church.

When that didn't work, Magnus tried a burning blue runic symbol, meant for protection and to prevent the user from getting lost.

That seemed to snap Jonas out of it.

"Oh man," Jonas gasped. "I nearly didn't break out of it that time.

"You're telling me," Magnus said.

Jonas grabbed Magnus' hand. "Over here."

He led the warlock over to a door in the back of the room. Magnus couldn't help but notice how warm the man's hand felt in his own.

The door led them downstairs and into the subbasement. They began looking around, and after a few minutes Jonas asked, "What exactly does this Portal look like?"

Magnus replied, "I'll know it when I see it."

He was turned, suddenly, when Jonas tugged on his arm. "What are we going to do if we don't find it?"

"We'll find it, Tiramisu." Magnus reached out and rested a comforting hand on Jonas' arm. "I can feel it."

The sound of footsteps caught their attention, and the two of them turned to see a blonde man standing at the base of the stairs. He scowled and approached Jonas, looking furious. "You know, if you were having second thoughts about Alec, you could have told him, instead of coming down here and hooking up with some random guy."

"Jace," Jonas groaned. "Trust me, you've got it all wrong."

"Oh yeah?" Jace clenched his fists. "Then how about I go tell Alec about this and see what he thinks?"

Jonas sighed as Jace turned to leave. He hurried after the blonde, but then a demon dropped down in front of Jace. Jace yelped, and Jonas hurried to push the man out of the way. The auburn haired Shadowhunter then kicked the demon, sending it flying into a shelf of boxes.

"What the hell is that thing?" Jace shouted.

Jonas didn't deign him with a response. He simply grabbed the man's hands and dragged him away.

* * *

Jace woke with a start, jumping to his feet and looking around for the demons he'd just been fighting. "Did you kill it?" he asked Meliorn when he couldn't see anything.

"No."

Jace looked between the Seelie and the entrance to the other dimension. "It went through?" he questioned.

Meliorn nodded his head, and then paused. He dropped to his knees and pressed a hand against the ground. "I have to shut the entrance," he declared. "More demons are coming."

"What about Jonas?" Jace asked. "You said you Seelies protect other dimensions."

"We do," Meliorn replied and stood up.

"There is a demon in there with a bunch of unprotected people." Jace paused, and then took a step towards the entrance. "Let me in." Meliorn sighed. Jace insisted, "I can kill it."

"If I seal the doorway behind you–"

Jace interrupted the man. "I know, the Portal is the only way out. I'm willing to take that risk. Grant me entry."

Meliorn inclined his head and made his way over to the entrance. "Remember, you won't have your seraph blade. Demons don't disintegrate in this dimension."

Jace followed him, and waited as the man spoke Seelie for a moment before he told Jace, "Go."

Jace didn't hesitate.

He raced forward, and then blinked as he came out the other side.

There was a hand on his back, comforting him. He blinked again, taking in the sight of boxes before him. Then he lifted his head, looked to his left and saw Jonas, before looking at his hands. They… looked like his hands. As far as he could tell, the entrance had worked.

"Jace?" Jonas asked.

"Yeah," Jace confirmed. He frowned as he examined Jonas and took in his relieved state. "You okay?"

"You have phenomenal timing," Jonas said.

Jace stepped back and looked himself over. He tugged on his jacket, not used to being dressed in a suit.

"Mind filling me in?" Jace asked.

Jonas sighed, and opened his mouth to explain.

Before he could, something grabbed Jace on the back of his neck and threw him against the wall. He heard Jonas shout his name, and turned to see the auburn haired Shadowhunter defend himself against the demon with a pole.

Jace turned and grabbed a nearby broom and broke off the brush with a stamp on his foot. He then joined Jonas in the fight against the demon. Eventually, Jonas managed to hold it down and Jace stabbed it with his broom stick.

The two shared a pleased look.

...And then the demon stabbed Jace.

Jonas screamed and Jace stabbed the demon again as it ripped its barb free. Jonas hit it in the side of the head and it collided with a stack of boxes.

Jace panted as he stood there. Jonas turned to check on him, and suddenly Jace clutched at his neck, collapsing to his knees.

"Holy shit, Jace!" Jonas exclaimed and knelt down next to him, helping Jace remove his jacket.

Jace clutched at his neck, and Jonas frantically ran his hands over Jace's shoulders.

Magnus appeared then, kneeling down behind him.

"Where's my stele?" Jace asked.

"It didn't come through with you," Jonas replied.

Jace gasped as the pain got worse. He felt hands on his neck, and then Magnus said, "You're gonna need more than a stele for that."

"What if we get back to our universe?" Jonas asked.

"No. Blood travels with you," Magnus explained. "It's why your angelic powers still work here. The demon venom is in his blood."

Jonas nodded. "Then we have to get him back to the Institute in our dimension."

Jace grunted through the pain as he shook his head, arguing, "No, we've gotta find Valentine."

Magnus ran off as Jonas replied. "Oh yeah, because we're going to do a boss battle when you're running on negative HP."

"We might not get another chance, Jonas," Jace insisted. "This is too important."

Magnus shouted from somewhere nearby. "I found it!"

Jonas got to his feet and dragged Jace up with him. "Come on," the man urged.

Jace grabbed his hand and used the man for support as they rounded the corner.

"Magnus," Jonas said, handing the Portal shard to the Warlock.

The Warlock took the shard and placed it back in the slot where it belonged. He then magicked the Portal, activating it so it glowed a brilliant purple.

"You'll have to destroy the Portal after we go through," Jace told Magnus.

Magnus glanced at him. "Why?"

"To secure your dimension from all sides. Otherwise, if it stays open, you'll be vulnerable to demon attacks again."

Magnus nodded, swallowing thickly. "I'll take care of it… and the malodorous monstrosity on that table."

Jonas led Jace to the portal, but Magnus paused him by placing a hand on his elbow. "Thank you," the Warlock said.

"For what?" Jonas asked, appearing genuinely confused.

"You gave me back a life. I won't forget it, and I won't forget you." Magnus then pushed Jonas forwards. "Now, go."

The two Shadowhunters stopped before the Portal, and Jace told Jonas, "Think of your father."

Jonas' expression shifted to one of disdain, and then they stepped through without an ounce of hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh guys shits hitting the fan! I am /so/ excited for the rest of season 1. I really hope you guys enjoy it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So then just get a new one, keep that one as a pet. Why did he have to kill a poor, innocent creature?" Jonas huffed.

Clary woke to the sound of murmuring in the distance. Her thoughts were fuzzy, and she felt completely disoriented. She was stuck somewhere dark, trapped tightly within four walls. She pressed her hands against the metal encasing her, and then froze as something rattled the wall next to her.

Clary skirted to the very back of her prison, clamping her hands over her mouth to keep herself quiet.

Footsteps drifted closer, there was the resounding clang of metal, and then someone said, "It can't be. It can't be. You died. I saw it."

"Jace?" someone else asked. The voice sounded familiar. Clary couldn't narrow it down, though.

"Jace…" another voice murmured. "Is it really you?"

The familiar voice spoke again. "Jace, how do you know this man?"

"He's my father."

There was a pause.

Then realisation hit Clary like a truck.

"Jonas!" she tried to call out, but her voice failed her. She tried again. "Jonas!"

Silence.

"Jonas! Help me! I'm trapped." Clary banged against the walls. "It's me, Clary. Jonas, please!"

There was a horrifying moment where she thought that they weren't going to let her out, that she was going to be stuck here forever without even knowing where she was.

Then there was another clank of metal and light streamed in, blinding her. She squinted her eyes shut and brought her hands up to cover her eyes.

"Clary? Clary is that you?"

Clary blinked against the light, vaguely making out her brother's face. "Jonas?"

"Oh my God, Clary."

Hands reached out and grabbed at her, pulling her free from her confinement. She grasped at her savior, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're okay now," Jonas murmured, helping her to stand. "You're free."

"Dad?"

Clary turned to see a blonde man gaping at another man. The blonde one looked familiar… But she couldn't narrow down where she'd seen him before. The two weren't paying any attention to Jonas and Clary. Clary eyed the blonde one closely, and despite his sickly appearance, he was… stunning.

"Son," the older man responded. The two embraced and held onto each other. "Oh, Jace. I can't believe it." The older man pulled back and examined the younger one. "Son, you're hurt. How did you find me?"

"You're dead," the blonde said. "Valentine killed you. Valentine's... Valentine's here."

The older man shook his head. "No, Jace. It's me." He then glanced at Clary and Jonas. "I'm Michael Wayland," he explained. "I'm Jace's father."

Suffice to say… Clary was incredibly confused.

Though, at least now she knew the blonde one's name. Jace.

"Look," the older man, Michael Wayland, began. "I know what Jace told you, but I've been here for ten years. Valentine took off and left me."

"And Jocelyn Fairchild?" Jonas asked.

 _Jocelyn_ , Clary thought, mind buzzing with all of this new information.  _Mom_.

"He took her with him." Michael glanced between Jonas and Clary. "You are?"

"I'm Jonas," Jonas said. Then he pointed at Clary. "This is my sister."

"Clary," Clary explained. "Jocelyn's daughter."

Jace collapsed then, falling to the side. Michael and Jonas quickly caught him, the latter explaining, "It's Ravener venom."

"We have to find your father, not my father." Jace panted. "Valentine's…"

"His stele," Michael said. "Where is it?"

The man searched through his son's jacket, pulling out a tarot card. Jonas snatched it and said, "Back pocket."

"Back pocket," Michael echoed.

Michael reached around and grabbed some kind of stick thing. It kind of looked like the heirloom Clary's mother had given her. "Get it," Michael said. He pulled up Jace's shirt and began tracing one of the… tattoos that were revealed.

The stick glowed brightly, and the tattoo shimmered faintly.

"What's wrong?" Jonas asked when Jace grunted in pain.

Michael gave up on trying to make the tattoo glow. He explained, "The rune is weak."

"Ravener venom must be spreading. We have to get him help," Jonas urged. "We... We closed the Portal."

"Valentine's got a standing Portal." Michael heaved his son along. "Let's go."

The two walked off, murmuring amongst themselves, but Clary remained frozen.

Noticing her hesitation, Jonas walked over to her. "Hey, I know this is all super confusing, but you're going to have to suck it up and get a move on or I'm going to leave you behind."

"What?" Clary asked, shocked by his words.

He merely scowled at her and repeated. "Suck it up. Let's go."

Clary gulped, but hurried after him because there was no way she wanted to be left behind.

* * *

"Holy crap, Clary!"

As soon as Clary stepped in the door behind the three men, Simon had her in a hug.

"Simon!" She exclaimed, distantly aware of Jonas talking with Luke as Michael lowered Jace into a booth. "Oh God, Simon. I didn't– I…"

"Is it really you?" Simon asked as he pulled back from the hug.

Clary laughed, relief like she'd never felt before flowing through her. "Yeah."

"You've been missing for so long," Simon said. "I thought you were dead!"

"I hate to cut this reunion short," Jonas said as he rushed over to them. "But Simon, Jace needs blood. There's gotta be some kind of blood at Hotel DuMort. Could you call Raphael?"

"Calling won't work," Simon replied. "We have to do this in person. My van is in the garage. You drive, I'll hide under a blanket to stay out of the sun, and… there's underground parking in the hotel."

"Great," Jonas said. He dashed off, and Clary watched as her brother knelt down by Jace's side. "Remember how you told me not to die that one time and I didn't?"

Jace nodded weakly.

"Cool. Well, I'm not going to tell you to stay alive, because I don't really care either way." Jonas paused. "Though I would appreciate it if you didn't leave me with all that paperwork."

Jace chuckled weakly, and Jonas smiled at the man. He clapped a hand on the blonde's shoulder, and then pulled away.

He rushed over to Simon, "We gotta go."

"I'll be back, Clary." Simon reached out and hugged her briefly. "We'll catch up later."

Clary, not entirely sure what was going on but sensing it was best not to interfere, simply replied, "Sure. Bye Simon."

"Bye," he called and she watched as her brother and her best friend disappeared out through the door.

She stood there, mind a blank as she stared at the closed door. Then someone came up to her side and she turned to find Luke standing there. "Luke!" she exclaimed and then hesitated when she remembered what he'd said. "You– You want us dead! You want the Cup!"

Luke frowned. "...No."

"I heard you!" Clary exclaimed.

Luke paused, glancing back to where Jace and his father was. Then he met Clary's gaze evenly. "I think we need to talk. Let's step outside, give these other two some privacy."

Clary glared at him. "No way am I going anywhere with you."

"Think about it," Luke said. "Why would your brother bring his injured friend here and trust me to keep it safe if I meant any of you harm?"

"My brother didn't hear what you said to those buddies of yours."

"Clary… Whatever you heard, that was weeks ago!"

Clary's thoughts stumbled to a halt. "Weeks?" she repeated, dazed.

Luke eyed her with a sympathetic gaze. "C'mon," he said, grabbing her arm lightly. "I'll fill you in."

Clary was hesitant to go with him, but figured if she wanted to get to the bottom of things she didn't have much of a choice. They stepped outside, and Clary breathed in the fresh air, soaked up the sunlight on her face.

"I heard what you said at the precinct." She looked at Luke, suspicion shining in her gaze. "You told those creeps the last 18 years of your life were a lie."

"Those were Valentine's people," Luke said. "I lied to them to protect you."

"You want the Mortal Cup, just like everyone else."

"The Mortal Cup?" Luke chuckled. "That's the last of my worries. Clary, I've spent the last few weeks worrying about whether you were okay."

"I… I don't remember." Clary swallowed. "It's been weeks?"

"Yes," Luke replied. "What  _do_  you remember?"

"Just… Dot– or whatever she was, taking me away." Clary shifted uneasily. "And then nothing."

"Well," Luke sucked in a sharp breath. "It sounds like there's a lot I need to fill you in on, then."

Clary nodded. She  _desperately_  wanted to know what was going on. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Jace looked up as he heard someone enter the back of the restaurant where he was recovering.

"I hear you managed to not die," Jonas said as he approached. "Congrats."

"Thanks," Jace replied, amused. "It's almost like you care."

"Pfft," Jonas waved him off. "Never."

Jace grinned, and Jonas smiled back as he leaned against a nearby chair.

"I'm glad to see me and Simon's efforts didn't go to waste."

Jace shifted, holding out his arm to reveal the tap over the crook of his elbow. "Yeah, uh... fresh blood." He peeled it off, and chucked it over the back of the couch. "These vamps may be onto something."

Jonas paused for a moment, drawing in an airy breath. "I, erm... I just talked to your father."

"Yeah?"

Jonas looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead settled on, "That story you told me about the boy who trained the falcon with kindness? That was you, wasn't it? He broke your falcon's neck."

"I ruined it," Jace explained. "It wanted to be fed. It wouldn't hunt."

"So then just get a new one, keep that one as a pet. Why did he have to kill a poor, innocent creature?" Jonas huffed. "Why did he have to fuck with your psyche?"

Jace didn't know how to respond to that right away, so he remained silent for a moment.

"We're not mundanes, Jonas." Jace finally said. "He had a lesson to teach me. That's how it's done."

Jonas sighed. "Something's not right about all of this."

Jace watched as the man turned thoughtful. He let him be for a moment, before trying to gain the man's focus again. "So… Your sister…"

"Oh, Clary?" Jonas blinked and met Jace's gaze.

"I'm glad you found her," Jace said. "Even if we didn't find Valentine."

Jonas shrugged. "I mean, it's cool, I guess."

Jace quirked a brow. "You guess?"

"I'm glad she's not trapped anymore." Jonas sighed. "But it's… weird, that she's part of" -he gestured vaguely around them- "all of this now."

"I would say we can let her go off and do her own thing," Jace said. "Except–"

"Then Valentine would just grab her again and we'd be back to square one."

"If it's any consolation, you're not alone in this. I'll help you with Clary, and I'm sure the others will too."

Jonas grinned, victorious. "Can I just pawn her off to you then?"

Jace pretended to consider for a moment, and then said, "No."

* * *

Magnus Bane was not expecting a visitor.

When he opened the door at the sound of the buzzer, he eyed the sight of Alec with barely-veiled disdain. He was tempted to send the Shadowhunter on his way, but…

Magnus wasn't about to give up on one of the sparks of  _something_  he'd felt in years. Not yet, at least.

He turned and strode into his apartment, sighing as he went. "Tired of bickering over the guest list for your wedding?" he threw over his shoulder.

"I need to ask you something."

Magnus made for his bar stand in the corner of the room. "Hmm. Will it take long?" he questioned and grabbed a cocktail glass. "I have a life to live, and there's not much for us to talk about."

"It's not about me, or… any of that. This is about my sister."

"Oh, I see." He poured himself a drink, then glanced over at Alec. "Are you referring to the fact that your adorable fiancé has Isabelle on trial for treason?"

Alec didn't respond. Magnus figured that he'd guessed correctly.

He took his cocktail and sat down on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. "What can I do for you, Alec?"

"My sister wants you to be her defense attorney," Alec began. Magnus stirred his drink with his pinky finger. "I said I would ask. But I'm sorry to bother you. I know… a Downworlder can't defend a Shadowhunter in court."

Alec began to walk away, and Magnus cut in.

"But a Shadowhunter accused of a crime can choose any advocate."

Alec turned back around, curious. "That can't mean a Downworlder."

"The Clave was so rigid and prejudiced back in what they call the Time of Angels that they didn't dream of a Shadowhunter asking a Downworlder for help. They didn't even bother to exclude us." Magnus got to his feet. "So, since, as you all say… 'the Law is the Law…' there's no stopping me from slipping through this gaping loophole."

Wanting to have a reason more than simply helping bring justice to a wronged Shadowhunter, Magnus added, "For the right price."

"Name it," Alec prompted without hesitation.

Magnus didn't even have to think about it. "You," he replied. Alec's brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze wavered. Amused, Magnus offered, "In fact, I'll do you pro bono."

Alec shifted, drawing in a deep breath. "Anything else?"

Magnus sighed, disappointed, but unsurprised. He took a few steps closer to the Shadowhunter as he considered. "What else is important to you?" he asked, and then spun on his heel as he thought it though. "What else tells me that your sister means enough for you to make a real sacrifice?" An idea struck him, and he smiled. "Oh... I know."

He turned back around and told Alec, "Your bow and quiver." Magnus eyed the man closely. "How about that?"

Alec hesitated, clearly reluctant to give up one of his most prized possessions. Then, to Magnus' relief, Alec agreed. "Done."

"Hm," Magnus hummed and took a drink of his cocktail.

He was glad that Alec was still so loyal to his sister. It made Magnus feel better to know that the man he desired still had  _some_  sense.

Now to just make him apply that sense to the whole Lydia debacle.

...Easy enough.

* * *

Jace glanced over at the booth where Luke, Jonas and Clary were seated. They'd been talking for the last hour or so, ever since it was decided that Luke and Jonas would be going to scout Renwick's that night.

Jace left them to it, figuring that if Jonas wanted his help he'd ask.

Instead, Jace sat and quickly became lost in his thoughts.

He was mostly stuck thinking about his father– which was unsurprising. The man had been dead up until only hours ago. Jace was still kind of in shock about it all, really. He glanced over at the man in question, who was fiddling with a seraph blade they'd given him.

"So I heard I have you to thank for taking care of my brother."

Jace looked up, gaze meeting that of Clary's. The redhead seemed calmer than she had earlier that day, and there was an intrigued glint to her gaze. Jace took in the sight of her now, no longer disheveled from weeks of imprisonment.

Instead, she'd showered and changed into a black, patterned shirt and burgundy jeggings. Her hair fell in soft curls around her face that dipped below her neckline.

Brushing away thoughts of her appearance, Jace glanced behind her to see that Luke and Jonas had left. They must've head out to investigate Renwick's already. Jace turned back to Clary and replied evenly, "It was a team effort."

Clary considered him for a moment, and then gestured to the booth opposite him. "Mind if I join you?"

"Would you listen if I said no?"

She smirked and sat down, ignoring his question.

"So, you and my brother are trying to find this Valentine guy to take him out." Clary leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "And hopefully you'll find my mom along the way."

"Jocelyn," Jace elaborated on instinct, unused to hearing her referred to as 'mom'. Clary nodded. "Our main priority right now is Valentine."

"Well my main priority right now is getting my mother back," Clary replied.

" _You_  won't be doing anything," Jace said. "My job is to keep you safe, and the kind of things we're going up against now… you aren't even remotely prepared for it."

Clary frowned. "And Jonas is?"

"He's been working hard the last few weeks to keep up with us," Jace said. "So… Yeah. He is."

"Doesn't sound like it."

Jace, surprised by her cynical tone, responded sharply. "You'd be surprised."

"It's just…" Clary sighed. "I don't see or hear from Jonas in four years and now he's back and fighting demons? I remember him as a fourteen year old boy, half the height he is today. It's just weird."

"You're going to have to get used to that." Jace leaned in closer. "Jonas can hold his own. It's impressive, really. From what I've seen, I can't believe he's only known about the Shadow World for such a short time." He leaned back with a shrug. "Maybe you'll pick it up as quick as he did."

Clary smiled, seemingly pleased by his response. "I hope so." She reached up and brushed some loose strands of red hair away from her eyes. Jace's gaze tracked the movement, inexplicably drawn to the sight.

"Either way, you're stuck with us now." Jace gestured in a dismissive manner, forcing his focus elsewhere. "And if we ever get some free time, you can ask for some tips on how to not get yourself killed."

Clary grinned, amused. "You're not very good at this," she teased.

Jace opened his mouth to respond with something that would've surely been hilarious and biting, but then Michael appeared, interrupting them.

He was then taken away to train, but he and Clary exchanged a pleasant farewell before he left.

* * *

It turned out there were (apparently) a bunch of demons guarding Renwick's.

Jonas was vehement on going there and taking down Valentine. Clary was mostly focused on finding her mother, and apparently there was a good chance that she was at the abandoned hospital.

It was decided that everyone would go, Clary included.

They'd wanted to leave her behind, but she'd insisted that she joined them. Jonas hadn't bothered to argue with her, Luke had been pissed but acquiesced when Jonas told him: "If Valentine wanted her dead, she'd already  _be_  dead."

The demons would still be an issue, but Clary had been explicitly ordered to stick by Jonas' side so that she– hopefully– wouldn't end up dead.

It was surreal for her to watch Luke, Jace and Michael battle right in front of her. They used these glowing blades and fought with kicks, shoves and punches with a severity that left her gaping.

"C'mon," Jonas urged, tugging on her arm. "We should go whilst the Circle members are distracted."

Clary swallowed thickly, shocked by the display in front of her. "Okay," she finally managed, and let Jonas drag her along behind him.

They snuck into the hospital, Jonas leading the way, a seraph blade arming his right hand, the other was tangled securely in a grasp with her's.

"When do I get a sword?" Clary asked in a whisper as they crept through the hallways.

Jonas hushed her, without providing an answer.

Clary, deciding to bring the subject up at a later point, pulled to a stop in front of a set of doors. Jonas walked right up to them and pushed them open, letting go of her hand as he did so.

They swung open, and Clary gasped as she spied what was inside.

"Mom…" she murmured to herself. Clary then rushed forward and froze as she reached her mother's side.

She rested a hand against her mom's cheek, relief surging through her at being reunited with the woman again.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention, and she turned to see Jace and Michael rush into the room.

Together, they slammed the doors shut.

"I think we're missing someone," Jonas commented as he eyed the pair. He drifted over to Clary, though he kept a wide distance between himself and their mother.

Clary noticed that fact and filed it away for later inspection.

"Luke told us to leave him," Jace explained. "We left him fighting Blackwell."

The blonde then proceeded to draw a... (what had Jonas called it?) rune on the door.

Clary rushed forward, not entirely sure what she planned to do but needing to get to Luke.

"No!" Jace exclaimed, grabbing onto her and stopping her progress. "What are you doing? Get back!"

"We cannot shut Luke out!" Clary shouted. "He has to make it inside!"

"He'll be fine, Clary," Jonas said. "He's a big bad alpha werewolf."

"We have to secure the room," Michael said.

Jace maneuvered her away from the door and screeching demons, intoning to her carefully. "Clary, you need to stay calm and let us handle it. If you don't, no one survives. Do you understand? We will get her home." Clary looked to her mother, panicked. Jace shook her, gaining her attention once more. "Look at me! We will find a way to wake her up. Do you believe me?"

Clary stared at him, his eyes searching hers. She couldn't find it in herself to say no.

"Get ready," Michael warned.

Jace turned to Jonas, and the two walked over to each other. "Jonas, now! We can't wait any longer."

Jonas nodded and pulled out some kind of chalice. Clary squinted at it, cocking her head and sifting through all of the information about the Shadow World that Jonas and Luke had given her.

Her best guess? What Jonas had… was the Mortal Cup.

Jonas then began to speak. "Hey, so— uh. Demon buddies, would you mind finding Valentine?"

If anything, the demons grew more ferocious, fighting harder to get inside the room.

Jace seemed shocked, surprised it hadn't worked.

Clary figured that was a bad sign.

"Demons," Jonas shouted, trying again. He was far more commanding this time. "Find Valentine!"

When that seemed to fail yet again, Clary began to suspect that something wasn't right. She watched as Michael turned to Jonas. "Let me try."

Jonas shrugged and handed the Cup over.

Michael took it and then glanced away for a moment.

"Come on," Jace urged, as Michael turned back to face him.

Michael then held out his arm, readying the seraph blade in his other hand.

Suddenly, Clary found herself being dragged behind Jonas, she yelped, and then fell silent. Right before her eyes, Michael dragged the tip of his blade across his forearm, cutting through a rune and disabling it.

"No," Jace gasped.

Michael fell to his knees, bending over as his body changed from that of the blonde haired man to that of a man Clary realised was Valentine Morgenstern. Her father.

...Also the big bad guy in this scenario.

"No," Jace repeated, as Valentine stood up.

Jace stared, distraught. He then steeled himself, raising his blade. "Valentine," he murmured.

"Eyup," Jonas replied.

Valentine held the Cup out and ordered, "Demons… attack my enemies!" He grinned. "I command you!"

 _Oh no_ , Clary thought.

The demons screeched and clawed their way through the walls. Clary felt Jace shift closer to her, and she glanced at him before snapping her gaze back to her brother as he shouted: "And…. Cut!" At his words, the demons immediately silenced and began to retreat. "That's a wrap on the creepy demon scene. Take five," Jonas said with a smirk. "Refreshments in the back."

Valentine looked about, confused.

"I mean… you're not a very good actor, Valentine." Jonas cocked his head at the man. "We might need to recast you. That mug" -Clary glanced to the Cup in Valentine's hands, which turned into a mug that read 'world's best dad' (she appreciated the irony of the statement)- "would probably do a better job at playing Michael than you did."

Valentine sneered at the mug and threw it to the ground, shattering it.

"Now, personally I like the idea of watching dozens of demons tear this bastard limb from limb," Jonas began. "Or–"

"No," Jace cut in. "Send them away. He's mine."

Jonas, apparently content with that option, turned to where the demon's were waiting in silence. "Okay, fellas, you're done for the day! See Denise for your cheques."

They left without fuss, and Clary turned to Jace as the blonde began to speak. "You pretended to be my father," he said.

Valentine shook his head. "I wasn't pretending, Jace."

Jace leveled the man with a death-stare. "You murdered him. You're a liar!"

He charged forward, holding his seraph blade to Valentine's throat.

"I am your father. I always have been," Valentine argued in a rush. "The face that you saw as Michael Wayland was mine. Then and now. It was a powerful glamour. I want you to know me as I am. To know the truth about me… and you."

"I call bullshit," Jonas said.

"He's our father," Clary added. "We know that for a fact."

Well, at least she was pretty sure they did. Jonas' story about the Silent Brothers and his memories sounded fairly undeniable.

"Yes, that's true. That's a fact. I am your father, Jonas," he glanced at her and continued, "Clary. And Jace's."

"Ugh… Ew. No," Jonas said. "You seriously expect me to believe that I'm related to  _him_?" Jonas asked, shoving an accusing finger at Jace. "There's just no way."

Jace, however, didn't seem to feel the same way. He lowered his seraph blade, standing there, panting. The blonde didn't stop Valentine as the man walked up to a mirror and ran his... (wand? Stick? What had Jonas called it again?) Stele over it.

Clary glanced at Jonas, noticed that her brother seemed to be waiting for something.

She turned back to Valentine as he began to speak.

"Ah... My dear family… together at last. A lost mother, found. Two brothers, finally united." He smirked. "And of course, Clary. I left you for them to find, so we could all be together today. One big, happy family."

"Alright," Jonas muttered under his breath. "Jace had his chance."

Then, without warning, he charged at Valentine. For a moment, Valentine looked… scared, but then he rushed through the mirror, vanishing in an instant. Immediately, the portal- or whatever it was- closed behind him.

Jonas stumbled to a stop. "Fuck!" he cursed.

Clary… Clary kind of had to second him on that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've had some responses saying to post as much of this fic as I can before s3 airs. At this stage, that is what I'll do unless ya'll say you want otherwise. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I just asked last chapter if you wanted me to post all of this fic before s3 airs, or to leave some and space it out whilst season 3 is airing so you have something to read whilst we wait for each weekly episode. I'll probably wait until the mid season hiatus to start writing season 3, if you were wondering- so if I posted all of my fic before s3 aired then you'd have to go a few months without new content.
> 
> Though, I guess I could write some extra scenes to keep you all entertained (if you want me to post all the fic before s3 airs)


	16. Chapter 16

Luke found them, and Clary was relieved to see that he was relatively unharmed. The four of them brought Jocelyn back to the Institute. It was then revealed to them that they had to hand over the Cup in order to help Izzy.

Jonas had mentioned her and described her as a friend. So Clary was unsurprised when her brother agreed to hand over the Cup.

They ended up in what was- apparently- Jace's room. Jocelyn was kept within, and Clary remained by her side. Jonas stood with Jace, and the two conversed under their breaths. Clary didn't bother trying to eavesdrop, not really caring about what they were discussing.

All that mattered was that she'd been reunited with her mother… Even if her mother was under the influence of some kind of potion.

She glanced up when she noticed that the two men had fallen silent.

Both of which were staring at a man with dark, tousled hair and a guarded posture. Clary frowned at the newcomer, trying to discern who it might be.

Jace approached him, stating in an even tone, "Jonas gave Lydia the Cup. Hodge is taking her to lock it up until she goes back to Idris."

The man replied as though what Jace said wasn't that big of a deal. "Okay."

"'Okay'?" Jace shook his head, frustrated. "That's it, Alec?"

_Alec_ , Clary thought. Jonas hadn't told her a lot about the Shadowhunter, but she knew that he was  _supposed_ to be a close friend of Jonas'. She glanced at her brother and found him staring resolutely at the ground.

_Huh_ , she mused internally.

"I don't want to get into it," Alec replied. He turned to leave.

"Stop," Jace said. Alec paused, turning back to face the blonde. Jace stepped down the stairs so that he was level with the other Shadowhunter. "I do wanna get into it. You almost killed me. You weakened our parabatai bond just to find me."

"You betrayed me. You lied to me," Alec countered. "You attacked me when I was doing what we should've been doing together."

Clary began to realise just how much more she needed Jonas to catch her up on.

"I didn't betray you, Alec. I saved you from yourself!" Jace shouted. He paused, turning to take a breath before facing the other Shadowhunter and speaking in a calmer tone. "If you'd have taken Meliorn to be tortured, you would have that on your conscience for the rest of your life."

Alec scoffed. "Really?"

Jace insisted, "Really."

"Everything you do is for a higher principle. You took the Cup," Alec said. "And you nearly handed it over to Valentine."

"That was not our intention. You know that."

"'Our intention'?" Alec quoted back, and opened his mouth to argue further.

"Stop it," Jonas snapped, speaking for the first time since the argument started. He walked up to Alec, eyes blazing. "Leave. Now."

Alec seemed… stunned.

The two stared at each other for a long moment. Then, instead of Alec leaving, it was Jonas who slipped past the other man and disappeared down the hall.

Alec was frozen for a moment longer, before he too left, though in the other direction.

* * *

Magnus was relieved when Alec showed up to let Izzy know that everything had been settled. The Cup was returned, Izzy was no longer going to be banished and now Magnus was going to get his reward.

...That he didn't really want.

Alec grabbed his bow from the stand, and then handed it over along with his quiver of arrows.

Magnus took them with a gentle grasp, and met Alec's stare with his own.

"As promised…" Alec exhaled slowly. "Payment in full. Thank you."

Magnus nodded at the Shadowhunter, and then made to leave. He paused, though, not wanting to leave it at that. "I just want you to know," Magnus began. "Lydia was wonderful in court. She's great."

"So you get it," Alec said, sounding pleased.

"No, Alec," Magnus disagreed. "I get her. I like her. But you don't have to marry her."

Alec's gaze hardened. "Yes, I do, Magnus."

"You'll be lonely all your life, and so will she. Neither of you deserve it." Magnus paused. After a moment, he chuckled humorlessly to himself and offered the bow and quiver back to Alec. "I don't know what to do with these. You keep them for me."

Alec glanced at Magnus, but took back his possessions without a word.

Magnus bid a hasty retreat.

He had someone he needed to talk to.

* * *

Magnus knocked on the door and didn't have to wait long before it was opened.

"Magnus," Jonas greeted, sounding surprised.

"Jonas," Magnus replied, both in greeting and to confirm his suspicions. Jonas nodded, and Magnus offered him a smile that was warm and charming. "It's so lovely to be able to see you again."

Jonas ducked his gaze, but there was a tilt to his lips that was entirely too adorable. "Do you want to come in?" Jonas asked, taking a step back.

Magnus inclined his head and obliged, stepping inside. Jonas closed the door behind them, and then went to lean against the nearby bedpost.

"I heard you've been busy," Magnus said. He didn't know the specifics, but he'd gathered some of it.

"Oh yeah, it's been exhausting." Jonas sighed, and then asked, "How about you?"

"About the same." Magnus then gave him a quick run down. "After the Forsaken attack, I was hired to increase the amount of wards in the Institute. Then I helped Jace steal Alec's stele–"

Jonas grinned. "Nice."

Magnus continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, though now feeling pleased by Jonas' commendation. "—To get the Cup. Then Alec requested I represent Izzy in her trial. Now  _that_  was a load of nonsense."

"Damn." Jonas whistled. "You need like… a vacation.

"I think we all do." Magnus sighed and sat down. "That wasn't even the worst of it."

Jonas eyed Magnus with concern.

On one hand, he didn't want to tell Jonas about Alec getting married. On the other hand, Jonas deserved to find out about it from someone who would understand what he was going through. Not that he and Magnus were all that close, but he figured it was better hearing it from him instead of from Jace or the like. There was also a chance that Jonas already knew, and if that was the case Magnus  _definitely_  wanted to discuss it with him.

"Jonas," Magnus began, steeling himself. "I need to tell you something"

Jonas raised a brow. "Yeah?"

Magnus swallowed. "It's about Alec."

"Oh."

"...And our relationship with him."

"Right." Jonas let out a shaky breath. "This doesn't sound good."

Magnus inclined his head. "It may upset you, but you need to know."

"Okay," Jonas said and drew in a breath. He sat himself down next to Magnus, hands nestled in his lap. "I'm ready."

Magnus wet his lips before beginning, "Alexander has decided that to restore the Lightwood name, he has to marry." Magnus met Jonas' gaze evenly. "He and Lydia are getting married."

Jonas stared at Magnus.

He stared at Magnus for a very long moment.

Then, he exclaimed, " _WHAT?_ "

Magnus held Jonas' gaze, empathetic.

"How could he do this?" Jonas asked. "Why would he– And to  _Lydia_? He's not even– Urgh!"

Jonas leapt to his feet and began pacing, gesticulating wildly as he did so. "You know, the last time Alec and I had a moment alone he  _kissed_  me– And said that he wanted to do it again! He said it would be  _nice_."

"I'm truly sorry, Jonas," Magnus said.

Jonas shook his head. "No, no. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever–" Jonas cut himself off with a sigh. "I can't believe this."

"I know," Magnus commiserrated.

"You know, I'd even just decided to tell him about my DID."

Magnus' eyes went wide. "Really?" Then, he exhaled. "I'm so sorry, Jonas."

"It's not your fault." Jonas shrugged. "How could I trust him, now? I thought we… Ugh. Nevermind."

Magnus allowed a moment of silence before asking, "What made you want to tell him?"

"It's kind of a long story." Jonas began ticking off his fingers as he explained. "When we saved Meliorn, he offered us a chance to find Valentine. We, of course, agreed. Meliorn sent me to an alternate universe to find a portal that would take us wherever we wanted."

"I see," Magnus said. "So I'm assuming you arrived in your other self's body?"

"Yep," Jonas replied, popping the 'p'. "Turns out, other me is dating Alec. They've been together for a while, as far as I can tell." Jonas paused, drawing a breath as though to steady himself. "Alec knew about my DID."

"Oh," Magnus said, surprised.

Jonas nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know right? But, God, Magnus. He was so good about it. Like… it was incredible."

"I'm so glad to hear that," Magnus said.

Jonas grinned. "It was even better when he found out I was from another universe. I told him about Alec and I, about how we might've kinda been dating– which I guess is all ruined now, anyway– and I mentioned that Alec doesn't know I have DID."

"What did he say?"

In a quiet, soft voice, Jonas said: "He said that as long as I was patient with my Alec, he'd understand and support me— and you know what? I believe him." Jonas let out a disappointed sigh. "It's a shame Alec's gone and done this."

Magnus let out a small sound of commiseration, before offering, "But I do have a plan."

...Not so much a plan, but a promise to himself not to give up on Alexander.

Jonas paused, and turned to Magnus looking hopeful. "Ooo. I like plans."

Magnus hummed non-committedly. "Well, let's just hope it works."

The two fell silent, and Jonas sat back down next to Magnus. Magnus studied his fingers closely, clasping and unclasping them. After a few moments of thought, he glanced over at the Shadowhunter next to him.

"So… You kissed Alec?"

Jonas grumbled, "Don't remind me."

Magnus blinked. "You didn't like it?"

"No," Jonas said in a drawl. "It was terrible."

Magnus chuckled at his sarcasm. "All right then." He deliberated for a moment, before turning to Jonas. "If you'd like, I'm more than happy to show you what a  _real_ kiss feels like."

"Oh," Jonas said, the tips of his ears turning pink. "Really?"

Smiling faintly, Magnus leaned forward. Jonas did as well.

They met halfway, lips joining in a tender kiss.

Magnus was pleased to find that Jonas was quite the kisser. He reached up to card his fingers through the Shadowhunter's hair, letting himself be lost in the kiss.

Then his phone buzzed and the moment was broken.

"Magnus?" Jonas asked when the Warlock pulled back to check his phone.

"Ah," Magnus winced as he read the message. "I'm afraid one of my dear friends has angered a Seelie and gotten himself into some trouble. He needs my help."

Jonas frowned. "Oh shit. Can I help?"

"Thanks, but it's best I do this myself." Magnus got to his feet. "Gerald takes a while to warm up to."

Jonas nodded, and got up to see him leave. "When I get back... we can pick up where we left off." Magnus hesitated and added, "If you want."

Jonas scoffed. "Duh."

"And," Magnus continued. "I'll bring us some ice cream."

"No one in their right mind would turn down ice cream."

Magnus shot the man an amused look, before saying goodbye and portaling himself out of there.

* * *

When he returned, he knocked on the door as per usual. Instead of Jonas opening it, he heard a shout, "Come in!"

Magnus entered, and closed the door behind him. He then turned to find Jonas relaxing on the bed, doodling in a sketchbook. The Shadowhunter was lying stomach down, kicking his legs back and forth in the open air. He'd also put on an adorable, black, green and grey beanie with a logo that read 'Ben 10' on it.

The man looked up at Magnus, expression shifting to one of confusion. "Who the heck are you?"

Unsure what was going on, Magnus began, "Er–

"Nevermind," Jonas said, cutting Magnus off. "Unless it's something important, get out of my room. I'm busy."

Magnus paused. "But I brought gelato from Gelateria del Teatro in Rome…"

"Hold on a sec," Jonas shifted so he was resting on gangly arms. "You're telling me you've just come from  _France_?"

Magnus began to correct the Shadowhunter, "Rome is in Italy–"

"Pfft, that's not what's important!" Jonas cut him off. "What's important is that  _you're_  lying!"

"I am  _not_  lying. I wouldn't ever lie to you."

Magnus really meant that. The person before him was too important to ever risk being untruthful to.

Jonas narrowed his gaze at the warlock. "Prove it!"

Magnus rolled his eyes and held up the bag of said gelato. He placed it on the bed in front of Jonas and said, "The receipt is inside. So is the gelato."

He watched as Jonas rifled through the bag. The Shadowhunter's eyes went wide as he took in the many buckets of ice cream and then he reached in and pulled out a crumpled receipt.

"I can't read this. It's not in english."

"Exactly."

Jonas' lips pursed in consideration. "Okay, say I believe you… Why are you bringing me gelato?"

"Can't a man bring his friend gelato?"

"How are we friends if I don't even know you?" Jonas' gaze narrowed. Magnus's confusion grew. "Wait, you're not friends with my ma or momma are you?"

Magnus was definitely confused. "Who?"

"Casey and Gnash." Joey continued, "But I call 'em momma and mom, and I switch between ma and mom with Casey."

_Oh_ , Magnus thought. So this was the child of Casey and Gnash. What had his name been?

_Joey_ , Magnus remembered, as realisation struck.

"I'm afraid not." Magnus offered a hopeful smile. "Though I am friends with Owl and Jona–"

"Jonas?" The boy huffed. "Man, I can't stand that guy. You shouldn't be friends with him, you should be friends with me instead."

Seizing the opportunity, Magnus replied, "How can I be friends with you if you don't introduce yourself?"

Joey nodded succinctly. "Good point." He offered Magnus a polite smile. "I'm Joey. I'm twelve, and I'm the coolest guy in the system."

_And utterly adorable_ , the Warlock thought.

"Nice to meet you, Joey." Magnus smiled back. "My name is Magnus."

"'Magnus'?" Joey quoted back, scrunching his nose in distaste. "That's a mouthful. Can I call you Maggie?" Before Magnus had a chance to answer, Joey continued, "So, Maggie, how old are you? Are you part of a system too? How did you get to France and back here so fast? What's the difference between gelato and ice cream? Next time you go to Rome, can I come with you?"

"Um." Magnus swallowed, and then sat down on the edge of the bed to answer. "Yes, very old, no,  _Italy_ \- not France- and with magic, gelato is creamier, smoother, silkier and denser than ice cream, and okay but only if you get your parent's permission."

Joey studied Magnus closely for a few moments, and the warlock shifted uncomfortably under the boy's knowing gaze. "Well," Joey said, finally. "Maggie, here's the deal, if you prove to me that magic is real then I will let you have a single spoonful of some of this gelato."

"But  _I_  bought the gelato," Magnus replied, a little bit petulant.

In response, Joey merely pulled out a tub of gelato, took of the lid, and stuck a plastic spoon in it. He pulled the scoop of gelato out slowly, and then shoved it into his mouth.

With a contented noise, Joey sat back and gestured to Magnus in a 'go on then' gesture.

Magnus… Magnus could realise when he'd been beat.

With a huff, Magnus held out his palm and flicked his fingers, summoning the holographic image of a cute cat into his palm.

Joey gasped. "Woah!" He looked between the holograph and Magnus. "Can you do anything else?"

The warlock scoffed. "Can I do anything else?" he quoted back. Snapping his thumb and forefinger, he changed the image to that of a puppy, then a volcano and finally a waterfall.

Each time he changed the image, Joey grew more and more amazed. When Magnus finished with a flourish, Joey was hanging off the side of the bed. He was looking up at Magnus, mouth agape.

When he realised that Magnus was done, he flipped himself upright into a sitting position and shouted, "That was totally wicked!"

Magnus couldn't help but grin. "Thank you," he said, pleased.

"So are you like… a wizard? Like from Harry Potter?" Joey asked.

Shaking his head, Magnus explained, "No, though I can cast magic, I'm what's called a Warlock."

"Warlock," Joey repeated, testing out the word. Then, he nodded and looked up at Magnus with bright eyes. "I like it! It sounds epic, like you're some powerful badass."

Magnus felt his lips twitch, both humbled by Joey's easy acceptance and amused by the kid's genuine enthusiasm. "Well…" He smirked. "I am pretty badass."

"Yep!" Joey shifted on the bad, sitting back on his heels as he brought out tubs of gelato. "So you can have some of this french ice cream with me, 'cause then we can be friends and I can have a friend that's a badass!"

Magnus didn't bother correcting him this time. Instead, he sat down next to Joey and replied, "Okay. Can I have some of the Stracciatella gelato then?"

"The what now?" Joey asked, but he dug through the containers and found the tub with the corresponding label. He handed it over to Magnus along with a spoon.

"Which one are you going to have?" the warlock asked as he took the gelato from the boy's hands.

"I dunno," Joey replied. "Is there a strawberry?"

In response, Magnus picked through the tubs and then handed the right one over to Joey.

"Sweet," Joey said with a grin. He opened the container and began eating, humming happily at the taste.

Glad that his new friend was pleased, Magnus began to consume his own tub of gelato. He took a few spoonfuls, marvelling over the delicious taste. Then he reached over and picked a tub at random. "Yum." Magnus licked the spoon clean. "This one's good, try it."

He held the tub out to Joey. Joey stared at it suspiciously. "What flavour is it?"

"Shh," Magnus hushed him. He nudged the tub closer. "Just try it."

With a shrug, Joey scooped a tiny amount of the sorbetto onto his spoon and then eyed it closely. "It looks like vanilla."

Magnus gestured non-committedly.

Joey shot him an unimpressed look, but shoved the spoon into his mouth. After a moment, Joey's face scrunched up in disgust. "Ew! Banana? Are you trying to poison me?"

Magnus chuckled and pulled the tub back to himself, dipping his spoon into the banana sorbetto. "I take it you don't like bananas."

"Nope," Joey said. "And it sucks 'cause mom loves them and is always eating them. She keeps trying to get me to like them but that's never going to happen."

"Stay strong, kiddo," Magnus encouraged.

Joey nodded. "Will do, Maggie."

The two of them spent the next couple of minutes trying all of the different flavours. Joey took the opportunity to tell Magnus about his life. Mostly though the kid just lamented over the fact that his mothers wouldn't let him play GTA.

When they were too full to eat anymore gelato, Magnus vanished the containers, much to Joey's amazement. The warlock then settled down onto the bed, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. Joey followed his lead, but laid stomach down.

He brought his sketchpad with him, and Magnus turned to watch with interest as the boy doodled what appeared to be a ravener demon.

"Why are you drawing that?" Magnus asked, curious.

"Because they look cool," Joey replied, as though it was obvious. "Mom doesn't want me to have anything to do with them. Momma agrees, but she says it's okay if I draw them or whatever."

"Ah," Magnus said. He couldn't imagine this adorable twelve year old being in proximity to a demon. He told Joey, "When you next see your parents, you can let them know that I'll make sure you never get anywhere near the demons."

"Don't have to," Joey said. "Mom's listening. She says thanks."

Magnus blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah, our communication is pretty good, and mom always makes sure that she knows I'm okay when I'm out." Once he finished explaining, Joey focused back on his sketching.

Magnus fell quiet, thinking of Jonas and how he was worried about the man.

He hadn't exactly taken the news well.

...Magnus wondered if he could ask Joey whether–

"Jonas says hi, by the way." Joey waved his hand, as though brushing something off. "He's saying some more stuff too, but it's all super boring. I'll spare you the details."

Magnus shook his head fondly at Joey. Then, he replied, "So Jonas is okay?"

"Yep," Joey confirmed, popping the 'p'.

"I was just worried about him, because I shared some bad news with him and now… well, he's not here." Magnus smiled gratefully at the boy. "Thank you for letting me know that he's okay."

Joey smirked. "No problem. It's nice to have someone else to hang out with." Joey frowned. "You're the first person to know about all of us in a while. The last one was Kyle and his dad."

"Kyle?" Magnus replied. He was unfamiliar with the name.

"Yeh but they moved away so we haven't seen them in forever." Joey shrugged, legs beginning to kick back and forth again. "But now you're cool so I can hang out with ya'."

"I'm glad," Magnus replied, and he really was. There weren't a lot of people he was close with, at least none that didn't secretly want him for his powers and connections.

Joey returned to his drawing, and Magnus watched him. There wasn't much…  _polish_  to the child's art, but it was enough for Magnus to make out what Joey had intended to draw.

"Do you want to see my room?" Joey asked as he finished off a werewolf and started on a new page.

Magnus smiled indulgently. "I'd love to, my little Turnip."

"I'm not little!"

Magnus chuckled. "Sure you aren't."

Joey glared at Magnus, poking his tongue out at him. Magnus laughed at the kid's antics. Joey huffed and turned back to his sketchbook.

"This is my bed," Joey explained as he drew a square on the page. "It's a bunk bed. I know I don't really  _need_  a bunk bed but I begged mom and momma for ages and they finally gave me one."

Magnus nodded, because that made perfect sense. Bunk beds were pretty cool— if you could fit in them.

"Then I've got my desk" —Joey drew another, smaller square at the other side of the page– "that I draw on."

He then drew a circle in the corner. "This is my beanbag. I sit there and play my DS sometimes, mainly Pokemon– Eevee is my favorite."

"I've never played Pokemon," Magnus replied.

"You poor, deprived soul," Joey commented. He flipped to a new page and began drawing something that looked like a dog, or a lion cub. "This is Eevee."

"It's cute," Magnus said.

Joey exhaled in a 'pfft' noise. "It's not  _cute_ , it's fierce and strong–"

"And cute," Magnus finished for the boy.

Joey sighed. "Alright, and cute."

Joey flicked back to the page that had his room layout on it. "There's a line of cupboards and drawers along here to store all my stuff. Like, toys and things. But I don't really need any of it these days."

"Too busy playing Pokemon?"

"Nah, it's more like hanging out with my parents and doing cool stuff. The last couple of years have been a lot better for us so I get more time with my family."

"That sounds nice."

Joey nodded. "It is. And 'cause we're communicating better I get to come out more often to hang out with Jonas' friends. Jonas may be lame, but his friends aren't." Joey gestured towards Magnus. "Like you."

Magnus was not sure how to handle all of these compliments.

Joey didn't seem to mind his lack of response. He closed up his notebook and asked, "Hey, do you wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure," Magnus said. He didn't have any plans.

With a grin, Joey slid off the edge of the bed and hurried over to the corner of the room. "We saved up for a laptop and as soon as we got it I downloaded a bunch of movies. Well, Hoot helped me 'cause he's cool like that, but anyway."

He returned to the bed, a sleek, black laptop in hand. The top of it had a bunch of different stickers on it, from Disney characters to various brand logos.

The two of them sat up against the headboard, Joey starting up the laptop and resting it on a pillow that he draped over his lap. Once it had booted up, there was a login screen with a few different accounts to select.

Joey logged into the one labeled 'J-man', typing in his password one key at a time. Magnus was amused to watch the kid type, as Joey pressed the buttons with only his two index fingers.

It was a slow, but endearing process.

"What're we going to watch?" Magnus asked. He diverted some of his attention to dimming the overhead lights with magic, giving the room the perfect vibe for movie watching.

"Let me see," Joey replied. He clicked on a folder on the desktop called 'movies' and began scrolling through the list. "Mad Max!" Joey exclaimed as he spotted the title. "Let's watch that!"

Magnus opened his mouth to agree, but then Joey winced and shook his head. "Nevermind. Mom says no." He paused for a moment, and then sighed. "Now she's yelling at Hoot."

"They should stop so that we can watch a movie."

Another pause, and then Joey laughed. "They stopped! Mom says sorry, but I have a pick a movie more 'my age'."

Magnus chuckled at the kid's bitter tone, but then helped Joey decide on a new movie. They settled on How to Train Your Dragon. Much to their relief, Joey's mother didn't disagree.

It was about ten minutes into the movie that Magnus realised just how late it was. He only noticed because Joey had begun yawning every now and then. Despite how much the kid seemed to like the movie, he soon began to nod off.

Magnus didn't have it in him to nudge Joey awake once he was finally asleep.

Instead, he packed away the laptop with magic, so as not to disturb the boy. Then, he climbed out of the bed  _carefully_  and then used magic once more to tuck Joey under the covers.

Joey curled up on his side and let out a contented sigh.

Satisfied, Magnus turned off the lights and exited the room, leaving Joey to his slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been super unmotivated these last few days after everything that happened with dom, especially as someone part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I'm not going to go into it, because I want this to be a safe space for ya'll- but if you were affected by it, I hope this chapter might've made ya feel a little better :) Sending love to all of you out there that need it, remember you're not alone. We're here for ya'll!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Also I would love if you left a kudo and/or comment!


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